There is another, decidedly quirky establishment in Porlock Weir, Millers at the Anchor. We could have stayed there on a 'deal' too. The Anchor has been opened by Martin Miller who publishes The Miller's Companion to Antiques & Collectables. Miller and his daughter Tanya have created a hunting lodge by the sea! It is filled with Martin's own antiques, some of them decidedly idiosyncratic, help yourself bowls of fruit, and sweets, all of which can be washed down with Martin's own award winning Gin!
Sitting over the entrance door into Miller's!!!
The remains of a partially collapsed World War ll pillbox with five machine gun openings overlooks the bay.
Watching Thatchers at work, it was surprising to see the quick progress that they made. They were about to commence on the roof ridge - being a Gamekeeper's cottage it might be 'topped' with a woven pheasant
What a beautiful and interesting place to visit! xx
ReplyDeleteThis area of Somerset is pretty and interesting
DeleteDear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteYou and H, find such lovely places to visit.
This little cove looks delightful.
I love thatched roof's.. an age old profession .
I wonder , what stories that pebbled beach can tell and the bunker house.!
Happy 1st February.
val xx
Dear Val - in years gone by the only people ever seen down in this little cove were fishermen and their families. It must have been such a remote and cut off place in which to live.
DeleteWhat a sweet place. I do like your photos :) Isn't it good to see men thatching roofs still, an art that shouldn't be lost to modern roofs.
ReplyDeleteA great many cottages here that had been given a roof makeover using tiles are now reverting back to their orginal thatch. Thatch roofs are environmentally good, using locally grown materials, they keep the cottages warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
DeleteLovely views over that cove. The white flower around the telephone box looks very familiar to me, yet I do not remember the name, I have to find out..... So interesting you were at the Hunting Lodge of the Miller's. The gorilla looks a bit scary. Funny, one of Miller's Antiques Price Guides is on the shelf on my left side of the computer.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry Janneke I have misled you, we actually stayed at "The Café Porlock Weir" not Millers - may be we will try them another time.
DeleteIf you do come across the name of the flower then I would be very happy to learn it.
What a lovely part of the country this is - it looks so peaceful - but I expect at the height of the season it is inundated with visitors. Isn't it a shame that telephone boxes are now left in such disrepair. The one in our village has be repainted and cared for by a band of enthusiasts and now serves as an information booth with maps of the village.
ReplyDeleteI should imagine you are right Elaine, although the access down steep long narrow lanes must be a limiter to a certain extend. There are also very few places to stay, so I should think most visitors would be day trippers. The telephone box had a phone in it, may be in case of a sea emergency.
DeleteOh this is lovely. I know Porlock Weir very well, not such a long journey from here. I'm glad you had a good time although it must have been quite chilly!
ReplyDeleteNext time you go treat yourself to takeaway fish and chips from The Café, judging by the food we ate there they will be delicious.
DeleteA very nice place to be, I love that Gorilla Monkey looking over the bay.
ReplyDeleteIt was so strange to see that stuffed gorilla sitting over the doorway.
DeleteI lived in a thatched roof cottage in The. Netherlands years ago and it was re-thatched while I lived there. this brought back great memories.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased that it brought back great memories for you Janey - it is really interesting watching thatchers at work.
DeleteHello Rosemary, Porlock Weir looks to be an unspoiled place, quirky and not self-pretentious. The image in the life preserver looks like those old British travel posters, which I can imagine it was inspired by or copied from.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Hello Jim - Porlock Weir is too tiny and too remote down narrow country lanes to hopefully ever be spoilt. I was immediately attracted to that image which also reminded me of the sailor on the old packets of Players cigarettes.
DeleteHello Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteAnd, we too love to be at the seaside. There is always something to engage, amuse, divert, or what you will and the sea in all its moods is a source of endless fascination.
Porlock Weir is most attractive and is a glorious place to get away from it all. It is some years since we were last there and the addition of a fine dining experience makes it all the more attractive a proposition to return. Your photographs are glorious.
Hello Jane & Lance - when we booked last autumn it seemed a good idea but as snow began to cover the north of the country, we wondered whether or not we had been wise. However, all was well, snow completely missed our corner of the world.
DeleteIf another opportunity arises we shall definitely return if only to eat once more at "The Café Porlock Weir" .
Beautifully looked like the whole roof covered with straw. Quiet and charming resort. Regards.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right the whole of the roof was being rethatched - they do use straw to thatch but in this western part of the country they tend to use combed wheat reeds.
DeleteWell I think you know I love the seaside! If you are on Instagram you may have seen my very amateur video capture the other day. This is the sort of place I would appreciate myself so will have to remember this post, thanks for sharing. Just enjoying a Sunday am catch up of my favourite bloggers and their recent posts. Thanks for your kind words on my photo blog, it was a hard decision, but I just cannot keep up! see you on Travel Tales.
ReplyDeleteI am not on Instagram and not too sure whether or not anyone can access it?
DeleteThank you for your visit and kind words - there is a limit as to how much time you can spend on the computer, but I am pleased that your Travel Tales blog will remain.
Dear Rosemary, Everything wonderful is included in your post. Gorgeous photographs, the sea, fine dining, thatched roofs, beautiful scenery and warm and inviting Inns. So special!
ReplyDeleteDear Gina - you always say the nicest things, you make a girl feel happy. It was a lovely short break, and "The Café Porlock Weir" is a place we shall return to, their seafood menu is the stuff of dreams.
DeleteDid your sea fever bring you to this place, Rosemary? Beautiful rural seaside village! This is one of the places I’d like to visit one or two days in person and enjoy the local sea foods. Winter is not bad; the charming thatched roof houses and colorful boats are the accent to the muted but beautiful wintry colors. Is the red telephone box without maintenance or discarded? In my country, the number of public telephone booth has decreased with the drastic increase of the cell phone.
ReplyDeleteRegarding about the 1200 deer in and around the Nara Park, they are designated as Natural Monuments for their unique habitat. They are wild but tame with people. This contradiction derives from the fact that humans and deer have lived so closely at least 1300 years. No one owns deer but Deer Protection Organization protects and takes care of the pregnant, the elderly, and the ailing. Details are here http://stardustenglishwriting.blogspot.jp/2011/10/coexistence-with-deer-in-nara.html, if you feel interested.
Yoko
Dear Yoko - yes, you are correct. We took a chance travelling in January, the north of the country was under snow, but we were fortunate in this corner of the world. The colours do reveal the winter light, but you are also correct when you mention, winter is not all bad, there are always compensations if you look. The telephone box had a phone in it, perhaps it is there in case of a sea rescue emergency, but yes, everyone has a mobile phone these days. Apparently these telephone boxes are very popular in America for making into shower cubicles!
DeleteI will take a look at the post in the next few days.
Sounds like a delightful getaway!
ReplyDeleteWe did enjoy ourselves Debra.
DeleteI've always wanted to go here and never quite got around to it......yet!! Suzy x
ReplyDeleteDo try to visit Suzy - it is a lovely journey along the coast road and past Dunster castle on the way.
DeleteA good time of the year to enjoy a break in what looks like a sheltered little spot by the sea.
ReplyDeleteWe took a risk travelling in January, but we were lucky. I did get worried when snow was forecast but it didn't come to the West.
DeleteI had never heard of Porlock Weir. Looks lovley and very vunerable, those cottages, so close to the sea.
ReplyDeleteYou are right those cottages do look vulnerable marooned on that spit of land with the sea on one side and the harbour on the other
DeleteWhat a lovely place, it makes me feel like I'm set back in time. Having a cottage near and overlooking the sea was once ( not so long ago ) a real treasure, now you risk loosing it due to the terrible storms that occur lately.
ReplyDeleteI did wonder whether these cottages ever suffered from that problem.
DeleteIt was good to see the thatchers at work. When I lived in England it seemed to be a dying art. Owners of thatched cottages were having difficulty getting their roofs (rooves?) redone. I hope this means a revival of the skill.
ReplyDeleteThere is a big revival in thatching - cottages whose thatch had been replaced by tiles have now been rethatched.
DeleteThanks for the armchair seaside visit! Being landlocked in Iowa, it was an especially interesting treat. -Beth
ReplyDeleteEverybody in Britain can get to the sea within a mornings car journey so if the urge strikes we can soon visit.
DeleteI love to watch your photos of your landscape and seaside. Wondeful images - and the red call box is so lovely.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy seeing photos of your landscape too.
DeleteThere is something very reassuring about the timelessness of being by the sea. Those old telephone boxes are very popular in the States for making into shower cubicles.
ReplyDeleteWhat a quaint and picture-perfect place for a getaway by the sea, Rosemary. The food sounds delicious, too, a special bonus! It is wonderful that thatched roofs are having a revival, as they are not only picturesque, but practical too. We were quite thrilled to see thatchers at work on our last trip to England, when visiting Constable Country in Suffolk. It is a remarkable art. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us.
ReplyDeleteDear Patricia - it pleases me also that the craft of thatching has been revived. There was a time when it had a bad press, I think mainly when we still had open fires, but now everyone has central heating or log burning stoves which do not to cause house fires. A thatched roof is also environmentally friendly too.
DeleteDear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteYou and H go to the most picturesque places! I like Miller's gorilla; I'm guessing that with its realistic appearance, it might give a few people a start. I would love to watch thatchers at work. I can imagine, as you said in an earlier answer, that it keeps a cottage warm in winter and cool in the summer, and the look is charming. I've always wondered, though, does the thatching ever get buggy?
Hello Mark - I am not sure whether or not that gorilla is a stuffed real one, or a cheat. Apparently there is another one indoors, Martin Miller is a bit eccentric.
DeleteIf the thatch is not done properly then squirrels can get inside, but it is rare. Birds can also pinch bits of straw to make their nests. If that happens then they put fine chicken wire over the thatch which is not visible to the naked eye. Things such as spiders are no more likely in a thatched roof than they are in a tiled roof.
Oh Rosemary, what an absolutelyfantastic and inspiring post! Your pictures are amazing and that list of all those beautiful and interesting places I must visit in the UK just gets longer and longer every time I visit your blog. :) And I love how you guys enjoy all the good in life. Both the big and small things.♥
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your kindness and warmth on my blog. I'm so glad you're there.♥
Take care!
Charlie
xx
It is lovely of you to visit Charlie - I hold you close♡
DeleteI have never been so aware of the textures of natural objects as when I see your photos Rosemary. These are wonderful, as always, and accompany such an interesting tale.
ReplyDeleteThank you Janice - aren't we the fortunate beneficiaries today having these little digital cameras that pick up all the details so beautifully.
DeleteRosemary, you seem to have a wonderful knack of finding attractive and interesting [laces a little off the beaten track and showing them to us. Your photos are gorgeous in their detail and I particularly like the beach ones.
ReplyDeleteDear Perpetua - you are always very generous with your comments, it feels like coming top of the class - thank you so much.
Delete