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An ancient castle and comfortable country home with dramatic vistas and subtropical gardens
Dunster Castle, Dunster, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 6NY
Asset | Opening time |
---|---|
Castle | Closed |
Entrance point | Closed |
Garden | Closed |
Parkland | 10:00 - 17:00 |
Castle refreshments | Closed |
Shop | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Watermill | Closed |
Watermill tea-room | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Ticket type | Gift aid | Standard |
---|---|---|
Adult | £18.70 | £17.00 |
Child | £9.35 | £8.50 |
Family | £46.75 | £42.50 |
1 adult, up to 3 children | £28.05 | £25.50 |
Only assistance dogs are permitted inside the castle.
Cycle parking is located behind Visitor Reception.
Steep routes with steps and uneven surfaces. Blue Badge parking. Accessible toilets by shop. Mobility scooters for hire.
A limited number of blue badge spaces
A space available should blue badge spaces be unavailable
Enter from A39 onto the parkland driveway. Car park is 300 yards from the main road.
Parking: £6.50 all day, members free (please scan your card), motor home £13 (space dependent). Paybyphone facility for those without coins- location code 806775. Car park gates locked at 6pm daily. Our car park is small and parking spaces are limited. In poor weather we may suggest parking in the Dunster Steep village car park. Please check our website before travelling. We cannot guarantee parking for motorhomes. Strictly no caravans or trailers.
Sat Nav: 3 miles south-east of Minehead, off A39. Please use "Directions via Google Maps" at the top of this page or use postcode TA24 6NY and follow the brown signs onto the parkland driveway from the A39. There is no vehicular access from the village via Castle Hill.
The closest train station is Dunster Station (West Somerset Railway) 1 mile (about a 25 minute walk to the entrance).
As a thank you for arriving car-free, enjoy a free hot drink in our cafés when you show a member of our Welcome Team a bus or train ticket with the day’s date on it, or a bike helmet.
Plan your car-free visit to us with Good JourneyTravel to Dunster by bus for just £2 each way
28/X28/28A - Taunton - Minehead - bus service operated by Buses of Somerset, alight Dunster Steep, ½ mile.
Exmoor Coaster West-bound: Doniford- Watchet- Dunster- Minhead- Porlock- Lynmouth. East-bound: Lynmouth- Porlock- Minehead- Dunster- Watchet- Doniford.
198 - Dulverton - Minehead- bus service operated by Atwest , alight Dunster High Street Newagents (S-bound) or Dunster The Foresters Inn (W-bound).
678 - Dulverton - Minehead - bus service operated by Exmoor Community Bus Association, alight Dunster High Street Newagents (S-bound) or Dunster The Foresters Inn (W-bound).
As a thank you for arriving car-free, enjoy a free hot drink in one of our cafés when you show a member of our Welcome Team a bus or train ticket with the day’s date on it, or a bike helmet.
Plan your car-free visit to us with Good JourneyCycle lane from Minehead to Dunster along A39. Cycle parking is available behind Visitor Reception.
As a thank you for arriving car-free, enjoy a free hot drink in one of our cafés when you show a member of our Welcome Team a bus or train ticket with the day’s date on it, or a bike helmet.
Plan your route to Dunster Castle and Watermill using the CycleStreets journey planner via the bicycle link below (This journey planner uses OpenStreetMap data which is generally excellent but accuracy cannot be guaranteed. If you come to a footpath or other cycle-prohibited track, please don't ride on it.)We hold the Good Journey Mark for welcoming car-free visitors. Travel a greener way and enjoy a free hot drink when you travel by bus, train or bicycle to us. Plan your journey by train, bus, bike or foot with Good Journey
Dunster Castle is a two pawprint rated place. From wide open parkland to formal gardens, your dog walk needn’t be boring during your visit to Dunster Castle and Watermill.
Discover everything you need to know about bringing your school for a visit to Dunster Castle and Watermill.
Take a look at the map of Dunster Castle and Watermill to help plan your visit.
Ancient castle that became a lavish country home during the 19th century.
Working Victorian watermill, with three floors of traditional machinery and milling days.
Terraced garden home to Mediterranean and subtropical plants, with a riverside wooded garden and bowling green.
Grade II* listed parkland with river, which is home to otters, kingfishers and salmon.
Unusual Victorian reservoir built to supply water to the castle and gardens.
Natural play area created from a giant redwood, with a wooden xylophone.
Watermill Tearoom and Tenants' Hall pop-up café.
Shop in the 17th-century stables, with original gifts and local products. Second-hand bookshop, Gatehouse Books.
Explore 1,000 years of history at Dunster castle, from its collection of painted leather hangings – the only one of its kind in the UK – to its historic working watermill.
Explore the highlights of the garden at Dunster Castle, which takes you around the world and through four different microclimates
Looking for a fun family day out this autumn? Whether you're after
An exclusive chance to spend the day with Dunster Castle's Collections and House Manager, including a bespoke tour, hands-on conservation, and a two-course lunch.
Experience the magic of a country Christmas, inspired by family memories at the castle during the festive season. Wander through rooms adorned with traditional Christmas decorations, join us for festive craft workshops and immerse yourself in the festive spirit with an illuminated path leading up to the castle on our extended opening days.
Enjoy an illuminated route up to the castle and discover the castle dressed for a country Christmas.
Enjoy a circular wander through tranquil woodland and discover an impressive folly built by Henry Luttrell to enhance the view from Dunster Castle.
Enjoy this scenic walk to Grabbist Hill from Dunster Castle, which passes through ancient woodland and offers panoramic views over the surrounding area.
This longer walk up to Bats Castle, a well-preserved Iron Age hillfort, offers memorable views over the Bristol Channel and across Exmoor as a reward.
Enjoy the impressive architecture and houses in the medieval village of Dunster on this walk, which also takes in memorable views of Dunster Castle.
There are several places to enjoy a bite to eat and a drink during your visit to Dunster Castle and Watermill. Find out more about what each outlet has to offer.
Between the foothills of Exmoor National Park and the Somerset coast, this ancient but newly-renovated cottage, overlooking Dunster Castle, has bags of charm.
Explore Exmoor National Park from this cosy farmhouse cottage on Holnicote Estate
A handsome, detached farmhouse near the Somerset coast, surrounded by the rolling green hills of Exmoor where sheep and cattle roam.
A snug one-bedroom English country cottage in the village of Selworthy with views over Exmoor.
A part-thatched cottage with its own private stream minutes away from Bossington beach.
On the fringes of Exmoor, this quirky cob and thatch cottage is the perfect base for hiking the moors.
If you've always wanted to see more of Dunster Castle, come on an attic tour with one of the castle's knowledgeable tour guides.
Join us to make a Christmas wreath and bring some festive cheer to your home or to another.
Escape the winter chill and settle down in the warmth of the Morning Room. Enjoy a selection of Christmas stories told by one of our friendly volunteers.
Enjoy an illuminated route up to the castle and discover the castle dressed for a country Christmas.
We have something for everyone this Christmas inside the castle and in the gardens. Soak up the festive atmosphere and make Dunster Castle a part of your Christmas traditions.
Blow off the cobwebs and join us for the 12 days of Christmas trail around the house and garden.
An exclusive chance to spend the day with Dunster Castle's Collections and House Manager, including a bespoke tour, hands-on conservation, and a two-course lunch.
Dramatically sited on a wooded hill, a castle has existed here since at least Norman times, with an impressive medieval gatehouse and ruined tower giving a reminder of its turbulent history. The castle that you see today became a lavish country home during the 19th century for the Luttrell family, who lived here for 600 years.
The terraced garden displays varieties of Mediterranean and subtropical plants, while the tranquil riverside wooded garden below, with its natural play area, leads to the historic working watermill. There are panoramic views over the Bristol Channel and surrounding countryside from the castle and grounds.
Discover a thousand years of history at Dunster Castle. Follow its journey from a Middle Ages fortress to a Victorian family home.
Dunster Castle’s garden has developed and grown over many centuries. Find out more about those who helped shape it into the garden we see today.
Explore the history of the working watermill at Dunster and follow the historical milling process. Buy our organic wholemeal flour, available at the watermill and the stables shop.
Find out more about volunteering at Dunster Castle and Watermill and how you can join the team and play your part in looking after this special place.
Join today and help protect nature, beauty and history – for everyone, for ever. Enjoy access to more than 500 places with National Trust membership.