Selworthy Beacon

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Selworthy Beacon
Selworthy Beacon from Porlock Weir.jpg
Selworthy Beacon from Porlock Weir
Highest point
Elevation 308 m (1,010 ft)
Prominence 193
Parent peak Dunkery Beacon
Coordinates 51°13′13.69″N3°32′59.98″W / 51.2204694°N 3.5499944°W / 51.2204694; -3.5499944
Geography
England relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Selworthy Beacon
OS grid SS918479
Climbing
Easiest route Hike

Selworthy Beacon is a hill and Marilyn of Exmoor in Somerset, England. It lies within the boundaries of Exmoor National Park, to the north of the village of Selworthy and northwest of Minehead. A road leads to the top, where there is a National Trust plaque and a view of the south coast of Wales across the Bristol Channel. [1] The South West Coast Path also climbs the hill and ends slightly shy of the summit. [2] [3]

Contents

Geography

Selworthy Beacon is located in northern Somerset in southwestern England, about 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Minehead, north of the village of Selworthy. [4] Selworthy Beacon is one of three peaks in Somerset, the other two being Dunkery Beacon and Periton Hill. [5] Its elevation is 1,013 feet (309 m). [6] Behind the hill, there are precipitous cliffs. [7] Selworthy Beacon is situated within the National Trust-owned Holnicote Estate. Nearby are the Macmillan Way, Coleridge Way, and a fourteenth-century tithe barn. A signposted walking route to the hill goes through a wooded area of Allerford and Holnicote Plantations, [6] [8] and is 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Porlock. [5]

History

Acland memorial cross Geograph 1698017 Memorial cross in Allerford Plantation.jpg
Acland memorial cross
Wind and Weather Hut erected in 1878 by John Barton Arundel Acland for use by the Acland Family on Sunday walks Geograph 1698088 Wind and Weather Hut.jpg
Wind and Weather Hut erected in 1878 by John Barton Arundel Acland for use by the Acland Family on Sunday walks

Near the summit are a series of cairns, thought to be the remains of round barrows, [9] and the British Iron Age Bury Castle. [10] The round cairns have been designated as a scheduled monument. [11] In the sixteenth century, Selworthy Beacon was (as its name implies) the site of a beacon to warn of impending invasions. [2] The mausoleum of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland is located about 0.25 miles (400 m) from Selworthy Beacon. [4]

Wildlife

Typical coastal plants are present, such as Sea Campion and Thrift ( Armeria maritima ), as well as gorse and heather ( Calluna vulgaris ). [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West Coast Path</span> Long-distance footpath in England

The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for 630 miles (1,014 km), running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more challenging trails. The total height climbed has been calculated to be 114,931 ft (35,031 m), almost four times the height of Mount Everest. It has been voted 'Britain's Best Walking route' twice in a row by readers of The Ramblers' Walk magazine, and regularly features in lists of the world's best walks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exmoor</span> Area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England

Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath. Exmoor is more precisely defined as the area of the former ancient royal hunting forest, also called Exmoor, which was officially surveyed 1815–1818 as 18,810 acres (7,610 ha) in extent. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and 55 km (34 mi) of the Bristol Channel coast. The total area of the Exmoor National Park is 692.8 km2 (267.5 sq mi), of which 71% is in Somerset and 29% in Devon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watchet</span> Human settlement in England

Watchet is a harbour town, civil parish and electoral ward in the county of Somerset, England, with a population in 2011 of 3,785. It is situated 15 miles (24 km) west of Bridgwater, 15 miles (24 km) north-west of Taunton, and 9 miles (14 km) east of Minehead. The town lies at the mouth of the Washford River on Bridgwater Bay, part of the Bristol Channel, and on the edge of Exmoor National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minehead</span> Human settlement in England

Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, 21 miles (34 km) north-west of the county town of Taunton, 12 miles (19 km) from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park. The parish of Minehead has a population of approximately 11,981, making it the most populous town in the western part of the now-defunct Somerset West and Taunton local government district, which in turn, is the worst area in the country for social mobility. This figure includes Alcombe and Woodcombe, suburban villages which have been subsumed into Minehead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunster</span> Human settlement in England

Dunster is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, within the north-eastern boundary of Exmoor National Park. It lies on the Bristol Channel 2.5 miles (4 km) southeast of Minehead and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Taunton. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 817.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunkery Hill</span> Summit of Dunkery Hill

Dunkery Beacon at the summit of Dunkery Hill is the highest point on Exmoor and in Somerset, England. It is also the highest point in southern England outside of Dartmoor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Somerset</span>

Somerset is a rural county in the southwest of England, covering 4,171 square kilometres (1,610 sq mi). It is bounded on the north-west by the Bristol Channel, on the north by Bristol and Gloucestershire, on the north-east by Wiltshire, on the south-east by Dorset, and on the south west and west by Devon. It has broad central plains with several ranges of low hills. The landscape divides into four main geological sections from the Silurian through the Devonian and Carboniferous to the Permian which influence the landscape, together with water-related features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allerford</span> Human settlement in England

Allerford is a village in the county of Somerset, England, located within Exmoor National Park, and is part of the parish of Selworthy in the district of Somerset West and Taunton. It appears in Domesday Book as "Alresford – forda Ralph de Limesy Mill".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Down, Somerset</span> One of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England

Black Down is the highest hill in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, in south-western England. Black Down lies just a few miles eastward of the Bristol Channel at Weston-super-Mare, and provides a view over the Chew Valley. The summit is marked with an Ordnance Survey trig point, the base of which has been rebuilt by the Mendip Hills AONB authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holnicote Estate</span> Estate in Selworthy, England

Holnicote in the parish of Selworthy, West Somerset, England, is a historic estate consisting of 12,420 acres of land, much situated within the Exmoor National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winsford, Somerset</span> Human settlement in England

Winsford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, located about 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Dulverton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luccombe, Somerset</span> Human settlement in England

Luccombe or Luckham is a village and civil parish in the Exmoor National Park in the English county of Somerset. It at the foot of the moor's highest hill, the 1,750 feet (533 m) Dunkery Beacon, and is about one mile south of the A39 road between Porlock and Minehead. Administratively it forms part of the district of Somerset West and Taunton. The parish includes the hamlets of Stoke Pero and Horner, as well as the former hamlet of Wilmersham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selworthy</span> Human settlement in England

Selworthy is a small village and civil parish 5 kilometres (3 mi) from Minehead in Somerset, England. It is located in the National Trust's Holnicote Estate on the northern fringes of Exmoor. The parish includes the hamlets of Bossington, Tivington, Lynch, Brandish Street and Allerford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wills Neck</span>

Wills Neck is the highest summit on the Quantock Hills and one of the highest points in Somerset, England. Although only 1261 ft (384 m) high, it qualifies as one of England's Marilyns. It is situated about 8 miles (13 km) north west of the historic market town of Taunton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bury Castle, Selworthy</span> Iron Age hillfort in Somerset, England

Bury Castle is an Iron Age hillfort near Selworthy, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of All Saints, Selworthy</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of All Saints which sits on a hillside above Selworthy, Somerset, England is a whitewashed 15th-century Church, with a 14th-century tower. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallox Bridge, Dunster</span> Bridge in Somerset, England

The Gallox Bridge in Dunster, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument. The bridge is in the guardianship of English Heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Somerset Coast Path</span> Long-distance footpath in Somerset, England

The West Somerset Coast Path is a long-distance footpath that links the northern end of the South West Coast Path to the River Parrett Trail in Somerset, England, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Somerset</span>

The county of Somerset is in South West England, bordered by the Bristol Channel and the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, and Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south, and Devon to the west. The climate, influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the prevailing westerly winds, tends to be mild, damp and windy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">England Coast Path</span> Proposed hiking trail in England

The England Coast Path is a proposed long-distance National Trail that will follow the coastline of England. When complete, it will be around 2,700 miles (4,300 km) long.

References

  1. ↑ "Selworthy Beacon". BBC. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Walk — Selworthy Beacon" . Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Walk 1221 - Selworthy Beacon & North Hill from Bossington". Walking Britain. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 Ward, Charles Slegg (1897). North Devon Including West Somerset and North Cornwall from Exmoor to the Scilly Isles: With a Description of the Various Approaches (Public domain ed.). Dulau. pp. 51–.
  5. 1 2 Turnbull, Ronald (9 September 2010). Three Peaks, Ten Tors: And other challenging walks in the UK. Cicerone Press Limited. pp. 98–. ISBN   978-1-84965-147-9.
  6. 1 2 James Roberts (1 January 1997). Walking in Somerset. Cicerone Press Limited. pp. 75–. ISBN   978-1-85284-253-6 . Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  7. ↑ Hancock, Frederick (1897). The Parish of Selworthy in the County of Somerset: Some Notes on Its History (Public domain ed.). Barnicott and Pearce. pp.  7–.
  8. ↑ Drew, Keith; Andrews, Robert (1 March 2012). The Rough Guide to Bath, Bristol & Somerset: Includes Salisbury and Stonehenge. Rough Guides. pp. 268–. ISBN   978-1-4053-9381-2.
  9. ↑ Adkins, Lesley; Adkins, Roy (1992). A Field Guide to Somerset Archaeology. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press. p. 101. ISBN   0-946159-94-7.
  10. ↑ Dunning, Robert (1980). Somerset and Avon. Edinburgh: John Bartholomew & Son. p. 125. ISBN   0-7028-8380-8.
  11. ↑ Historic England. "Round cairn cemetery, 570m east of Selworthy Beacon (1020794)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 February 2015.
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