Rising Sun Hotel, Lynmouth

Facilities of the Rising Sun Hotel, Lynmouth

• Non-smoking rooms
• Restaurant
• Pets allowed
• Free WiFi
• Tea/coffee maker in all rooms
• Bar
• Superb breakfast
• Beachfront

Good for couples - they rate the facilities 8.8 for two-person stays.

The Rising Sun Hotel, Lynmouth | Hotel Review: By Suzi Bennett, Telegraph

Overlooking Lynmouth harbour, with dramatic views of Lynmouth Bay and the craggy expanse of Exmoor National Park, this 14th-century thatched inn is in one of Devon’s most picturesque locations. Inside, it’s wonderfully rickety and rambling, with a fire-lit bar, Exmoor cask ales, award-winning food and genial locals.

Location

Sitting on Lynmouth’s pretty harbourside, with views of Lynmouth Bay’s steep cliffs and dramatic seas, and the open moors of Exmoor National Park, The Rising Sun’s location is hard to beat. It’s at the foot of the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, a near-vertical railway that jettisons passengers to the cliff-top village of Lynton. With both coast and moor on the doorstep, the area has dramatic and varied hiking: The Valley of the Rocks, South West Coastal Path and Exmoor National Park are highlights. For something more genteel, National Trust-owned Watersmeet Tea Gardens is a 10-minute drive away.

Style and Character

Wonderfully rickety, with creaking floors, wood-panelled walls, and low, beamed ceilings, this 14th-century thatched pub is rich with history and character. R.D. Blackmore is thought to have written his classic novel Lorna Doone here and poet Percy Bysshe Shelley honeymooned in the pub’s cottage in 1812. Outside, a coat of arms and Victorian lamps swing in the sea breeze, while inside there’s sailing memorabilia, exposed stone and wood-beamed walls, and blackboards hailing local ales and fish catches of the day.

Service and Facilities

Dinner is served in the oak-panelled restaurant, or the bar, a more casual and sociable bar, where welcoming locals share tales over pints of Exmoor real ale, padded window seats give way to harbour-views through leaded windows and a small fire adds a warm, cosy glow to proceedings. Upstairs, there’s a small lounge with beamed walls, armchairs and harbour views. The service isn’t polished and the staff I spoke to had only a basic knowledge about the local area, but they are welcoming and there’s a large tourist office just around the corner for help with travel plans. Parking is on the street opposite.

Rooms

The 14 small-ish rooms, off rambling corridors and up narrow, creaky staircases, have been individually decorated in a tasteful, traditional style, with upholstered French headboards and armoires, antique furniture and floral curtains. Sea-facing rooms are smaller and brighter, while rear-facing views are larger but darker, with views of neighbouring properties. The best view in the house is Room 12, which looks directly up the coast and across town, dinky Room 17 won us over with its dainty charm, while rear-facing Room 7 has the best shower. Shelley’s Cottage, named after its famous visitor, is a thatched suite, with a lounge, kitchenette, pretty bedroom and large terrace with sea and town views. Bathrooms are mostly very small and not all have showers.

Food and Drink

The restaurant serves high-end traditional pub favourites, using local produce such as Lynmouth Bay lobster landed at the door, Exmoor game and Porlock Bay oysters. Dishes during my stay included a blush-pink roasted venison loin served with wild boar sausage, red cabbage and poached pear, pumpkin lasagne and beer-battered cod and chips. Prices aren’t cheap, averaging at around £18 for a main course. 

Breakfasts are old-fashioned and hearty, with cooked options including grilled kippers, boiled eggs or baked beans on toast and a full English.

Value for Money

Double rooms from £145 year-round. Breakfast included. Free Wi-Fi, although it’s patchy in some bedrooms.

Telegraph rating: 8/10