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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 | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Entrance point | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Garden | 10:00 - 17:00 |
Parkland | 10:00 - 18:00 |
Castle refreshments | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Shop | 10:00 - 17:00 |
Watermill | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Watermill tea-room | 10:00 - 17:00 |
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.
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.
Dunster station (West Somerset Railway) 1 mile
28 - 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).
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 running milling demonstrations.
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 spring? Whether you're after outdoor games or a fun trail for the kids, we've got lots for you to enjoy.
Step into the past and prepare for a great feast in the 1400s. Help find out more about the food and festivities needed for the big event!
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 a member of our garden team on a walk through the garden and enjoy the best of the day's blossom.
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 a member of our garden team on a walk through the gardens and enjoy the best of the day's blossom.
Step into the past and prepare for a great feast in the 1400s. Help find out more about the food and festivities needed for the big event!
Get outdoors this spring summer and discover Nordic walking against the backdrop of the castle.
Taunton Garrison bring history to life at Dunster Castle with a living history camp, including live musket firing and weapon demonstrations.
Dunster Castle's living history volunteers will be bringing the English Civil War to life with a pop-up camp, including live musket firing and weapon demonstrations.
Help the knights of Dunster Castle find their shields which have been lost around the grounds.
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.
Enjoy access to more than 500 places with National Trust membership. Join today and help protect nature, beauty and history – for everyone, for ever.