Wednesday 27 October 2021

Excursion to Minehead

We went to Minehead by train and bus this morning. Train as far as Dunster, then in a vintage bus to Minehead railway station, as the level crossing in Minehead town is out of use currently. One of the buses was an open topped double decker in old Bristol City green bus livery, the other was a red London Routemaster. 

We arrived on the red bus and travelled top deck on the green one back to Dunster to join the train. The London bus was a 91, on a route my sister Juneoften used to get from Wandsworth Common to get about town, so I sent her a photo by phone before getting on.

Minehead is a pleasant traditional kind of seaside resort despite having one of the few remaining Butlins holiday camps by the beach. The main street is blessed with many independent retailers and eateries with the part furthest away from the front given over to national retail chain stores and banks. It's well managed and appealing.

The harbour, contains some small fishing boats and yachts, with a lifeboat station on the quay. There's a fishermen's chapel on the quay dedicated to St Peter, with a painting behind the altar of Jesus walking on the water. The sea shore is a mix of sand and rocky shelves and much of the strip of land nearest the sea wall is devoted to wild grasses, which not only looks good, but provides an absorbent natural buffer between the sea and the wall.

We had fish and chips for lunch and walked up and down the main shopping street. There wasn't enough time to explore the back streets which extended up the east facing woided hillside. There's an ancient parish church of St Michael on the hillside as well as a Victorian church of St Andrew at the top of the main street in the town centre.

We returned on the early train and went for a walk around the port before supper and an evening of conversation an Rioja while I struggled with patience to upload my train photos over recalcitrqnt wifi.

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