Devon & Cornwall – Final Day
- Allan & Helen
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
Our final day in the south west had arrived and we had one more visit to do before heading home. An early start was needed as we left our lovely lodge to head two and a half hours north to Minehead in Somerset.
Minehead Lifeboat Station
Minehead lies on the Bristol Channel just a few miles across the water from Barry in South Wales. Located on Minehead Harbour the beautiful station building was constructed in 1901. It was built to better serve the Somerset Coast following the famous “Overland Launch” from Lynmouth in January 1899.
During a severe gale, Lynmouth volunteers dragged their lifeboat, Louisa, for 13 miles overnight to launch in aid of the Forrest Hill ship. The 1900 ton ship was sailing from Bristol to Liverpool carrying 18 crew. The ship was in danger of running ashore at Porlock, several miles east of Lynmouth. The poor weather conditions prevented the Lynmouth Lifeboat from launching and so the Coxwain proposed taking the boat overland to launch from Porlock Weir. This trek included a climb of 434 metres over Countisbury Hill and a trek across Exmoor. You can read more about the incredible rescue at the following link
At the Station we were met by visits volunteer Steve who kindly showed us around. The latest extension to the station was in 2023 and provided an improved crew changing room, a dedicated D-Class boathouse and shop. There are two boats on station, the afore mentioned D-Class, Exmoor Belle (D-847) and an Atlantic 85, Penny J II (B-939) on service in 2023. The Atlantic 85 requires a meaty launch tractor to negotiate the pebble beach and so they have a Talus MB-H similar to the one we saw in Clovelly. After a long chat with Steve it transpired that he knew exactly where we were from as his Daughter lives just a couple of miles away in the next town – It’s a small world.
So that was the end of our week long trip to Devon and Cornwall with a little bit of Somerset to join the dots. What a week it had been, stunning coastline, fascinating lifeboat stations, amazing volunteers and crew and something I would never have thought possible – Helen getting on a Twin Otter!
The end of this trip also marks a significant milestone on our Challenge – we are halfway there, yes 119 visits completed with 119 left to go. On our return home our very generous supporters had helped us reach £2000 going directly to support the incredible work of the brave souls we have met along the way.
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