Things to do with kids in West Somerset Things to do with kids Exmoor
Tea Room
River
Woodland walks
National Trust car park (£5 flat rate, coins only)
Toilets
Close to beaches at Minehead and Porlock Weir
When we’re in the mood for a family day trip a little further afield, we often venture to Exmoor National Park. One of our favourite hidden gems is the beautiful hamlet of Horner, hidden amongst the green hills between Porlock and Minehead. It's a great place to take the children in West Somerset with a child-friendly cafe, shallow river for a paddle, and woods for a walk, as well as being close to the beach at nearby Porlock Weir.
Horner Tea Gardens open daily, serving cakes, coffees, milkshakes, lunches… and the greatest hot chocolates served with whipped cream and smarties! Most of the tables are outside, but there’s a covered area for poor weather, and a few tables inside the building itself. It’s a child and dog-friendly spot with space for buggies in the garden area, and whilst there isn’t a kids' menu there’s plenty of family favourites (they’re happy to remove suspicious cucumber from the sandwiches, too!)
Keep an eye on their Facebook page as I believe they do close for a period out of season.
Parking in Horner is at the National Trust car park and is at a flat rate of £5 for the day – be warned, the machine doesn’t take card so don’t get caught without coins.
Just around the corner from the tea room, (turn right and walk down the road as you exit), you’ll find Horner Woods and Horner Green. We didn’t do the walk in the woods this time – mainly because our children charged headfirst into the river before we had a chance and filled up their wellies to the brim - but there are longer and shorter loops to be explored! I've linked details of the woodland walks here.
The river running through Horner Green a great place for a splash, to build a river dam, or do a bit of shallow wild swimming, and a safe spot for younger ones with a little river beach.
There’s lots to see and do in the Exmoor area as a family, for example Allerford Falconry & Animal Farm is a short drive down the road; but this time we drove 10 minutes down the road to the harbour at Porlock Weir with its stony beach. After a look at the boats and customary climb on the sunken pillbox, we finished with ice cream from the kiosk and building ‘igloos’ on the beach – something I’ve been doing at Porlock Weir since I was a kid!
Porlock Weir is accessed via a narrow road so be prepared to do some lane driving. There’s a small pay & display car park which can get busy at peak times, and there are public toilets. The stony beach would not be buggy-friendly but the rest of the village is tarmacked.