WATCHET

 Another of those delightful little ports that the North Somerset coast seems to abound with, Watchet has a very pleasant walk along the harbour wall, with a wide promenade, and plenty of seats where you can soak up the late evening sun.

In the Saxon ages. Watchet was important enough to have its' own mint. Coins minted in Watchet have been found in Scandinavia, suggesting that they were used either for trade, or to buy off Viking raiders.

The longest heritage steam railway in England, the West Somerset line, has a station right by Watchet Harbour, and the town is well-worth a stroll round.

'Yankee Jack' This statue commemorates John Short (1839-1933), an able seaman and bosun from Watchet. In the 1860s some of John’s ships ran the blockade in the American Civil War and because of this he was affectionately awarded the nickname of "Yankee Jack" by Watchet townsfolk.

(below) the gunship 'Gay Archer'. Very fitting, as Watchet was the scene of the only battle where a ship at sea was captured by men on horseback.

During the Civil War, a Royalist ship was sent to secure the town for King Charles. The ship stood offshore while the tide ebbed away, leaving only shallow water.

A Parliamentary force of mounted soldiers took advantage of the tide and galloped through the shallow water, their carbines firing volley after volley at the men aboard ship. Though the horses were up to breast level by the time they reached the ship, the carbine fire caused such a panic that the sailors surrendered.

The Ancient Mariner - it is rumoured that Watchet is the place where Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote his epic 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner'