Porlock Weir Exmoor
Porlock Weir is a small harbour hamlet on the Somerset coast at the western end of Porlock Bay, a collection of whitewashed cottages, a small tidal harbour and an ancient shingle ridge that creates one of the most evocative and most unspoiled coastal settlements on the Exmoor coast. The combination of the picturesque harbour, the ancient shingle ridge protecting the salt marshes behind it, the oakwood climbing the steep hillside above the shore and the views across the Bristol Channel to the Welsh coast creates a setting of concentrated natural and human beauty that rewards an unhurried visit. The harbour at Porlock Weir was once an active fishing port and a landing place for coal from Wales, the Bristol Channel trade making this small harbour a significant economic link between Somerset and the industrial regions across the water. The tidal nature of the harbour, which dries completely at low water, means that the character of the place changes dramatically with the tide, the moored boats settling on the mud at low water and the harbour basin filling again with the remarkable speed of the Bristol Channel tides that produce some of the greatest tidal ranges in the world. The ancient shingle ridge that connects Porlock Weir to the main Porlock coast to the east was breached by storms in 1996, creating a tidal lagoon behind the ridge that has been managed as a wildlife habitat since then, its saltmarsh and open water providing habitat for waterfowl and waders. The breach and the subsequent creation of the lagoon habitat illustrates the dynamic nature of coastal systems and the often unexpected wildlife benefits of natural processes. The Exmoor oakwood above the harbour, part of the ancient woodland that once covered much of the Exmoor coastal strip, provides walking of the finest quality with views over the channel to the Welsh hills.