Rising Sun Hotel

The Rising Sun Hotel is the harbour side inn of your dreams with a thatched roof, ancient beams and haphazard wooden floors, and dates from the 14th century. It is steeped in history with oak panelling, crooked ceilings, thick beachstone walls and creaking uneven floorboards.

It was in one of its rooms that R.D. Blackmore wrote several chapters of his West Country classic Lorna Doone. It sits overlooking a tiny picturesque harbour and Lynmouth Bay with its stunning backdrop of the highest hogback cliffs in England, and situated on the edge of the Exmoor National Park, where herds of deer, wild ponies and birds of prey roam free.

As it has grown it has absorbed neighbouring cottages including the one (featured above) in which Shelley and his 16-year old bride Harriet are said to have spent their honeymoon. Shelleys Cottage has lost none of its romance and now consists of a double bedroom with half-tester bed, sitting room, private garden with quite spectacular views and is ideal for those wanting something extra special.

Many of the bedrooms have half-tester beds and were refurbished by international designer Suzanne Lansdell of "Pour La Maison" in London, combining the latest design fabrics with traditional elegance within a 14th century ambience, assuring their guests of an unforgettable romantic experience.

Their approach to food is confident and it is clearly presented, with a lot of the raw ingredients produced in the area, like Lynmouth Bay lobster, local game and salmon fished from River Lyn itself. For starters the choice could consist of: "cold smoked" warm scallops, watercress risotto and an Italian liqueur dressing; ballantine of Brixham salmon with a white tomato and Benedictine sorbet; trio of game bird confit with a wild berry coulis or tortellini of stilton and celery on wilted greens.

There is a wide range of fish and seafood dishes, such as Lynmouth bay lobster crepinette rolled in seaweed with pommes anna and a sauce nantua, but you might care to go for the trio of local game birds served Wellington style on blue poppy seed mash with a ginger wine and honey cream sauce; char grilled medallion of smoked Exmoor venison, pommes macaire with baby vegetables and a game and port demi glace or rack of local spring lamb on sautéed spinach, chateau potatoes and a redcurrant and madeira jus.

The times given are for the service of food in the restaurant, an excellent choice of bar food is available from 12:00 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 21:00; this generally focuses on fresh local fish and game as available, and, according to season may include Lynmouth Bay Lobster salad, Exmoor game casserole, fresh sea bass and other generally "upmarket" bar food in the region of £7 - £12 per dish.

They offer an extremely enterprising and well put together wine list, of varied international parentage, with many of the choices below £20, and the vast majority under £30; also three dessert wines and a very decent selection of half bottles, over ten in all. More information on residential packages, menus and much more can be viewed on their Website.