Hidden on the eastern edge of Exmoor is the ‘lost’ village of Clicket. These are signs of the ancient village, which existed as far back as the 14th century.
Clicket was still in existence in the 1800s being listed in the Tithe Map of 1844. According to Somerset Live, it is an old mill village that served nearby farms where lime was quarried.
The crumbling remains can be found by trekking down the public footpath sign off Whitswood Deep near Minehead. While it’s not a hike for the faint-hearted, it will take you into nature and far from the madding crowd. Steep paths surrounding the area have been blamed as the reason the village was eventually abandoned as it was difficult for carts to access it.
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The story goes that by 1901 there were only three people left living there and it was finally left deserted. Heading down the footpaths, the first signs of Clicket are piles of stone and remnants of walls.
There is still an entire wall with a curved archway that has been blocked up and it’s thought this could have been a watchtower for the village. Just south of the centre of Timberscombe, there are signs for Clicket along the footpath, but some have been removed or covered.
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More remains of buildings appear heading down the path, as well as the ‘Clicket stream’, which still has a footbridge crossing it. It is easy to imagine people heading over it so many centuries ago.
The lime quarries were on what is now Allercott Farm and two lime kilns still exist. One, in poor condition, is built into a bank and the second is in fair condition and set in a front retaining wall.
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There was once a tramway serving the kilns and some rusting sections of the rail can still be seen. Residents would have travelled to Timberscombe for church services or the school, which would have been a tough walk in the winter months.
Set in the secluded valley, the remains of the village suggest that a once thriving community lived there. The stream side walk will take you through beech woods to the all-but-forgotten village set in a remote part of the west country with just birdsong and the rustle of leaves for company.
