Shell HousePorlock Weir, Exmoor Sleeps 6–8
Relax in this large, luxury beach house with the calming sea views, a pearl amongst the pebbles. Luxurious, exclusive and contemporary, this big private house by the sea watches tides turn, boats bob and people pass.
“… a truly fabulous house in such a beautiful location.” Unnati
Here, the rolling hills of Exmoor fall into the sea making a huge beach of silver pebbles creased by the inlet of Porlock Weir. Twice a day, the tide lifts the boats and gently puts them down again, it’s the lazy routine of this sleepy place, a place that encourages you to do nothing all day and then rest afterwards. Like the shells on the beach, Shell House is a combination of strong features, ornamentation and delicate colours making it a perfect place for a relaxing luxury family holiday. It’s architecturally striking, finished in a distinctive style that confidently avoids the obvious, a stunning location for a family celebration or group get together. This is a special place to stay which makes you feel like you have privileged access to live here as the locals do, tucked away and undisturbed by the visitors who come during the day. You’ll find lots of outdoor activities nearby but it is easy and tempting just to take some ‘me time’ and relax with the calming sea views.
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Download a printable brochure of Shell House… |
The Observer included Shell House in its review of 10 super cottages. Read review…
Shell House is now offering Yoga weekends and Photography breaks. Read more on your experience page…
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Loading ...At a glance
| THE PROPERTY | |
| 4 kings (3 ensuite) | + single (truckle) bed |
| Log burning stove | Underfloor heating |
| ENTERTAINMENT | |
| B&W iPod dock | Sat TV & DVD |
| All beds with TV | cinema/games room |
| Board game, BBQ | WIFI internet |
| TO MAKE LIFE EASIER | |
| Dishwasher | Washing machine |
| No Security Deposit | |
| FAMILY FRIENDLY | |
| Best for bigger kids | Plenty of space for cots |
| extra 2 single beds in master | Enclosed garden |
First-class coastal splendour
Inside Shell House
- Wonderfully light and airy, this cherry-picked property, sitting right on the beach, has a contemporary open plan living area with views across the harbour.
- The lavish open plan kitchen has a huge range cooker, enormous fridge freezer, dishwasher and breakfast bar great for spectators or informal meals.
- Sociable dining area, open the doors onto the spacious balcony taking in the sea view or BBQ whilst looking across the harbour.
- Sumptuous sofas in front of the contemporary log burner.
- Four individual and impressive bedrooms each with king sized beds and their own TVs.
- The master bedroom, has an additional single (truckle) bed, (which can be used as twin beds for children) with an en-suite & french doors to the patio and view to the sea.
- The second en-suite bedroom with french doors to a patio and bathroom shared with third bedroom.
- The fourth, spacious bedroom upstairs has an en-suite and a view to the harbour through Velux windows.
- A perfect location for large family groups with a huge hidden away ‘cinema’ and games room, with board games provided.
- Outside Shell House
- From this UK paradise, lounge on the patio close to the waters edge & watch the hustle of the harbour.
- Out of the sea breeze a more sheltered and private patio to the side of the house.
- Three great eating places in Porlock Weir village 5 minutes walk away.
Things you should know
Shell House sits at the end of a private road but Porlock Weir is quite popular during the day being a picturesque place with good eating places.
A foot path passes in front of the garden and opposite the front door are a row of small shops on the harbour front (including an excellent bakery).
The fourth bedroom is close to the cloakroom but for showers or baths the guests of this room need to use the facilities of one of the en-suite rooms.
Mobile reception is patchy in the house but fine just outside. There is WIFI internet at Shell House.
Pets unfortunately can’t be accepted at Shell House.
Where Exmoor meets the sea
Shell House location
- Exmoor hills and coastal walks 4 hours from London: 187 miles
- A ‘Wow’ house worth the 4.5 hour drive from Manchester: 182 miles
- On the north coast of Exmoor, between Ilfracombe and Minehead below Porlock
- At the end of the road past the harbour office in Porlock Weir
Top 10 things to do from Shell House...
To give you an idea we have selected our favourite top 10 things to do whilst staying at Shell House. But if you love doing something else just let us know, we’ll find all of the information you need and include it in your personal, tailor-made guide sent to you before you arrive.
Call or email us to find out more:
01865 764087
Take a Boat Trip
Exmoor Coastal Boat Trips have daily sailings from Lynmouth that take you to see the sea birds on the cliffs and isolated bays nearby. You may be lucky enough to see seals and dolphins in the strong currents.
Surfing and Kite Surfing
There is plenty of good surfing in North Devon. Lynmouth and Westward Ho! are popular with locals and keen outsiders. For great surfing and particularly if you are looking for instruction or to hire equipment you need to travel a little bit further, the most popular beaches for surfing are Woolacombe and Croyde.
Spend the day at the Beach
Porlock Weir Beach is the closest to Shell House and is a 4 mile long pebbly beach. There is fabulous marshland behind the beach which is home to numerous birds. It is popular for swimming, fishing, surfing and sailing and its size means that you can always find a quiet spot.
Historic Dunster
9.5 miles from Shell House is Dunster, a lovely historic village in Exmoor National Park. It has more than 200 listed historic buildings including the National Trust 11th Century Dunster Castle and the Old Yarn Market in the middle of the High Street.
Local produce for a night in…
1.5 miles from Shell House is Clive Down Butchers a traditional family butcher who sells locally sourced meats and award winning pies and sausages made from family recipes.
Restaurant Nearby
Less than 0.25 miles from Shell House is The Bottom Ship Inn. A great pub that offers an extensive menu with constantly changing specials, most of the food is home cooked and all produce is locally sourced. There is a seating area on the front where you can watch the people passing by in the harbour.
Fancy a Cinema Evening?
If you fancy a cinema evening there is a separate hidden away ‘home-cinema’ room with an extensive dvd collection. Here you will also find a small pool table. So no matter the weather, you should find plenty to entertain you inside Shell House.
Adventure and Activities nearby
For the more adventurous there is so much to do near all of our properties. From fishing and mountain biking to caving and coasteering…
UK Ironman 70.3 Triathlon
The Ironman UK 70.3 triathlon consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run.
Great Coastal Walks
A section of the South West Coastal path, where two rivers meet…
Finishing touches, personal service
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We know that your perfect break needs time to search and organize, so we do the searching for you and help tailor your stay to what you love to do. We’ll find all of the information you’ll need and include it in your personal, Example tailor-made guide sent to you before you arrive. |
When you arrive at our cottages you will find beds made with soft cotton sheets, marshmallow duvets, and hotel style comforts with sumptuous Sheepskin bathrobes, fluffy cotton towels, an occasional sheepskin rug and B&W iPod docking station so don’t forget your iPod!
We provide all that you need from tea towels, toilet tissue and dishwasher tablets to a generous supply of logs for the log burner and a jute shopping bag (as part of your welcome gift) to take home with you!
With our compliments, for your arrival, there will be a Sheepskin jute bag for you to keep. In the bag you will find; extra virgin olive oil, natural rock salt, fresh black peppercorns, Sheepskin’s own blend roast and ground coffee, tea bags and some tasty treats!
You can also add your own finishing touches by choosing one of our two delicious Tapas selections. Ordered separately and delivered to your cottage, our tapas are a perfect solution for an informal, delicious meal when you first arrive at the cottage or simply when you don’t want to cook, see our delicatessen page for more details.
Shell House press
Shell House has been recognised by guests and press alike.
Here is a selection of press articles in which Shell House has been featured…
Independent 50 best holiday cottages
Red Kite Tree Tent – One of the most innovative low-impact accommodation ideas around
Conde Nast
Conde Nast covered our photography workshops at Shell House…
Shell House Reviews
“We certainly did have a wonderful stay at Shell House, it exceeded even my high expectations. The house was absolutely stunning, much larger than I had imagined and the views were spectacular.There was certainly something for everyone, some of us walked (a gorgeous coastal walk to the little church nearby, then further on up), some went to Dunster Castle, some on to Exmoor. Of course a lot of the time we just enjoyed being in Porlock Weir and taking in the local atmosphere. My parents are still talking about it so all in all a very successful 3 days and I’m certainly looking forward to more time in a Sheepskin location!” Nick, May 2013
“Just a quick note to say that we have had a lovely time at Shell House. The house itself was beautiful and luxurious! I have to mention too that the service from sheepskin was excellent and we were truly made to feel special” – Peter, May 2011
“We had an excellent time! We all loved our stay at Shell House, it offered everything we could possibly need and it was the perfect size for the whole family! The beautiful location of Porlock Weir surpassed our expectations.
I thank you for your excellent customer service and especially the additional balloons which had been added to our collection, and were there to cheerily greet my parents in the hallway!” – Alison, May 2011
“We have just returned from a most enjoyable stay at Shell House. It is a truly fabulous house in such a beautiful location. We really did enjoy ourselves…and definitely all the kids did! We really enjoyed both the experience of dealing with Sheepskin and the house itself.” Unnati, April 2011
“Our stay at Shell House was absolutely perfect – the weather was great the views wonderful and both Andrews restaurant and Millers were very good and right on the doorstep. We would have no hesitation in recommending Sheepskin and hope we can use your holiday homes in the future.” Catherine, March 2011
“A rare gem, fantastic setting for our much needed break before we have our first baby in the new year. Thank you for a lovely stay.” Jon & Madeline, September 2010
“Congratulations in creating such a fantastic coastal getaway” David & Veronica, May 2010
“So restful and so convenient, we hardly used the car at all” Ben & Sally, April 2010
“Our friends were so impressed with our choice of cottage, they’ve asked us to organise the next one!” Alison & Martyn, December 2010
Press Reviews
The Observer included Shell House in its review of 10 super cottages.
Observer 2010 - Read the full article…
Shell House Availability
As with all of our properties we are as flexible as possible with arrival date and length of stay with a minimum booking of 3 nights. However during peak holiday times this property is only available for a minimum of 7 night stays. The preferred arrival day for Shell House is Friday.
Please do contact us to confirm availability for the dates you are looking for.
If you want to see dates for all of our cottages, please go to our all availability page.
Please use the left and right arrows to scroll through the months.
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Prices for Shell House
| Sleeps | 8 people | |||||
| Nights | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| £ |
1135 | 1440 | 1745 | 2060 | 2350 | |
| € | 1362 | 1728 | 2094 | 2460 | 2820 | |
| Available for short breaks year round, except for peak holiday times. Please get in touch to check these. Friday is preferred arrival day. | ||||||
Book now
When we receive your booking form we will reserve your requested dates for 5 days and we will be in touch to confirm all the finer details with you.
If you prefer call or email:
+44 (0) 1865 764 087
