Carhampton

Carhampton is a village 4 miles east of Minehead, and its parish runs from the Bristol Channel coast inland to Exmoor. The electoral ward reaches the sea at Blue Anchor. Minehead and Dunster have their own pages: Minehead and Dunster. The village had a population of 865 in the 2011 census.

Bat’s Castle is an Iron Age hillfort on the highest point of Gallox Hill, in Carhampton parish and south of Dunster. It stands at 213 metres, with two stone ramparts and two ditches, and scrub covers part of it. It is a scheduled monument, designated on 3 July 1964.

The village has a long recorded past. It may have been the centre of a Saxon royal estate, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records a battle here in which King Egbert fought the crews of 35 ships. The Church of St John the Baptist is Perpendicular in style, was heavily restored in the Victorian era, had its tower rebuilt in 1868-1870, and is Grade I listed.

Carhampton is also known for its wassail, traditionally held on 17 January, the old Twelfth Night. Toast soaked in cider is placed in the apple trees and shotguns are fired into the branches to scare off evil spirits. Dates and venues can change, so check locally before planning a stay around it.