Dunster
©
Dunster

Dunster

Somerset village on Exmoor’s edge, dominated by Dunster Castle and its rare medieval Yarn Market.

Dunster is a picture-book village on the edge of Exmoor in Somerset, dominated by the towers of Dunster Castle rising above the rooftops. The castle, now run by the National Trust, has been occupied since at least Norman times and sits in terraced gardens with views across to the Bristol Channel.

The village's most distinctive feature is the Yarn Market, an octagonal medieval market building on the high street dating from around 1609. It is one of only two surviving yarn markets in England. The high street itself is a handsome stretch of medieval and Georgian buildings, quiet enough that you can hear the water running in the mill leat that still feeds the working Dunster Water Mill nearby.

The Priory Church of St George contains one of Somerset's finest medieval oak screens and monuments to the Luttrell family who held the castle for six centuries. Dunster makes a good base for walking on Exmoor. The coast at Minehead is two miles north, and the moor stretches south and west from the village edge.

Guide

Getting There

Dunster is two miles east of Minehead, which is the nearest town with regular bus connections. The 28 bus from Taunton (via Minehead) serves the village. Minehead is the western terminus of the West Somerset Railway, a preserved steam line that runs through 20 miles of countryside to Bishops Lydeard, where connecting buses reach Taunton and the national rail network.

By car, Dunster is just off the A39, which runs along the northern edge of Exmoor. There is a car park in the village. Driving times: Taunton 40 minutes, Bristol 90 minutes, Exeter 80 minutes.

Guide

Things to Do

Dunster is small enough that you can see the main sights in a morning, but the surrounding countryside — Exmoor to the south, the Bristol Channel coast to the north — rewards staying longer. The village's medieval structures are the draw: the castle, the Yarn Market, the water mill, and the priory church are all within a few minutes' walk of each other.

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