Rainy Day in Lynton and Lynmouth: What Is Worth Doing

Short answer: Glen Lyn Gorge is genuinely better in rain — it is a working gorge with waterfalls and a hydro-power exhibition, and wet weather makes the water move. The cliff railway runs whatever the weather. Bring cash: the gorge is cash only.

The gorge is better wet

Glen Lyn Gorge in Lynmouth is a privately run gorge walk with waterfalls and a hydro-power exhibition, and unlike most attractions it improves in rain — more water means more of everything you came to see. You will get wet, which is rather the point.

Bring cash. It is cash only and the nearest machine is up in Lynton, which is a cliff railway ride away if you arrive without change.

The cliff railway

Running since 1890 and powered by water, climbing five hundred feet between the two towns in a few minutes. It runs in poor weather and the carriages are covered. On a wet day it is both transport and attraction, which saves the steep hairpin drive between Lynton and Lynmouth.

Watersmeet

A wooded gorge where two rivers meet, with a National Trust tea room at the bottom. Trees give you more shelter than you would expect, and the rivers are at their best after rain. The walk down is straightforward and the walk back up is the part people underestimate.

The nearer car park takes cash only with patchy signal for the alternatives — again, coins.

The Exmoor National Park Centre

On the Lynmouth esplanade by the harbour, with walking information and a café. Free, indoors, and the right place to work out what is actually walkable in the conditions.

Where to sit it out

• The Old Bank in Lynton — small sharing plates and the highest-rated food in either town.
• The Greenhouse in Lynton — all-day café and wine bar, open nine till nine, dog friendly.
• The Ancient Mariner in Lynmouth — the main pub, with a good local beer selection.
• The Blue Ball Inn on Countisbury Hill — low beams, thick walls, plenty of parking.

And if it clears

The Valley of Rocks is the highest-rated walk in this guide and it is spectacular under a dark sky. There is an easy level path as well as the higher routes.