HOTELIERS John and Lisa Richardson have taken their 16th century Dunster hostelry off the market because they could not bear to leave the village.

The couple put the 270-year-old Dunster Castle Hotel up for sale when they were tempted by an agent’s price tag of £1.3 million.

But now they have had second thoughts and decided to stay in the medieval village they love so much.

Mr Richardson told the Free Press: “The area is just stunning and the people here, everybody, are so friendly, and it is a great business as well.

“We have changed the style of the business and we are pretty happy with the way it is so we are happy to stay here for years.

“It is a beautiful village.”

The grade two listed High Street hotel stands just 20 yards from the entrance to the thousand-year-old Dunster Castle and has been run by Mr and Mrs Richardson for seven-and-a-half years.

The couple have renovated it from top to bottom since the Covid pandemic and closed its bar and restaurant to focus more on accommodation with its nine en-suite bedrooms.

The hotel has Dunster’s only private car park and also a period ballroom which has featured in a number of films.

Earlier this year, the Mr and Mrs Richardson hosted Hollywood actress Gillian Anderson, of X-files fame, and British director Marianne Elliott, when scenes for the movie The Salt Path were filmed in Dunster.

A spokesman for agents Bettesworths, which had been marketing the hotel, said: “The Dunster Castle Hotel is a fabulous property, which has been lovingly refurbished under our client’s ownership.

“Its central location in this ever-popular village makes it an obvious retreat for anyone looking to stay to enjoy a short or longer break in this beautiful area of the Exmoor National Park.”