Lynmouth is a tiny harbour village at the bottom of a deep, wooded gorge where the East Lyn and West Lyn rivers meet the Bristol Channel. It's paired with Lynton, the cliff-top town 150 metres above, connected by a remarkable Victorian water-powered cliff railway. The setting is extraordinary: steep, forested hills plunge to the sea, and the river tumbles through the village over mossy boulders. It was devastated by a catastrophic flood in 1952, rebuilt, and today operates as a small-scale tourism village surrounded by Exmoor National Park. We think it's one of the most dramatically sited villages in England.
Why Stay in Lynmouth
- Dramatic setting — the gorge, the rivers, the wooded hillsides, and the harbour create a landscape that feels more Norwegian fjord than English seaside.
- Cliff railway — the Victorian water-powered funicular between Lynmouth and Lynton is a genuine engineering marvel and great fun to ride.
- Exmoor access, the national park begins at the village edge. Walks along the river valleys and across the moorland are among the best in southern England.
- Honest caveat. Lynmouth is very small (a handful of hotels, cafés, and shops). The approach roads are steep and narrow. The beach is rocky, not sandy. Winter storms and flooding are real risks. Mobile phone signal is poor in the valley.
Things to Do in Lynmouth
Ride the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway. The water-powered system uses the weight of water in a tank on the descending car to pull the ascending car up. Built in 1890, it's the highest and steepest water-powered railway in the world. At the top, Lynton has a few shops, the Valley of Rocks nearby, and panoramic views.
Walk the river valleys. The path along the East Lyn River to Watersmeet (about 1.5 miles) follows the river through oak woodland to a National Trust house at the confluence of two streams. It's one of the finest short walks in Devon. The café at Watersmeet serves tea and cakes in a Victorian hunting lodge.
The Valley of Rocks, about a mile west of Lynton, is a dry valley with dramatic rock formations and a population of feral goats. The coastal path along the clifftop here has views across the Bristol Channel to Wales.
Exmoor's moorland is minutes away by car. Red deer, Exmoor ponies, and birdlife are all present. The dark skies here are some of the best in England for stargazing. Porlock and Dunster, further along the coast, add variety.