Lee House, 27-28 Lee Road, Lynton, Devon. EX35 6BP telephone: 01598 752 364 email: info@leehouselynton.co.uk
Watersmeet is one of the most popular walks from Lee House. The route takes you down to Lynmouth, then follows the East Lyn River to a Victorian Hunting Lodge which is now used as a National Trust tea room. The walk has several alternative routes through different scenery from Riverbank and woodland to coastal views and open moorland, each giving wonderful views.
A view of Lee House with other Victorian gentlemen's residences along Lee Road in Lynton. Lynton and Lynmouth grew and thrived as a holiday retreat for the Victorian elite and still retains much of the character and charm of that period.
Lynton is a village but with a town hall donated by philanthropist George Newnes and is worth a visit at the beginning of your walk. Here you can visit the tourist information centre containing maps and guides about the walk to Watersmeet.
One of the marvels of Victorian engineering in Lynton and Lynmouth, the cliff railway connects the two villages using only the power of water to drive the cars up and down the steep incline.
This view of Lynmouth is slightly off the route to Watersmeet, but shows the spectacular way the village sits between the sea and the bottom of the steep hill that rises 500 feet up to the twin village of Lynton.
From the first moment you leave Lynmouth on the way to Watersmeet you are surrounded by the raw beauty of nature
There are many paths to explore and some take you high up the sides of the gorge to where the woodland meets moorland providing a glimps above the trees back towards Lynton and Lynmouth.
The East Lyn River is fast flowing and dramatic along many stretches. Giant bolders sit in tumbling white water and each bend of the river has its own surprises; unexpected quiet pools with darting fish or shear rock constricting the water to a narrow torrent.
The walk to Watersmeet passes through a densely tree covered gorge and you can even take a detour that leads you up into the heart of the woodland. Spring, summer and autumn each have their own unique colours and atmosphere.
Watersmeet House is run by the National Trust as a tea room, but was originally used as a hunting and fishing lodge to take advantage of the wildlife that thrived at the confluence of the EastLyn River and Hoaroak Water.
