Somerset is a county stuffed with hidden gems; historical landscapes, caves and grottoes, wealthy folklore, undulating hills, and spectacular coastlines are all encompassed inside its boundaries. You will see that historical historical past, pagan websites, holy springs, castles, and the breathtaking wilderness of Exmoor. An ideal county for al fresco exploration, architectural landmarks, and bustling market cities, listed here are 15 of my favorite greatest and most stunning locations to go to in Somerset to get you began…
Corton Hill Beacon – essentially the most stunning locations to go to in Somerset
If you happen to take pleasure in an excellent stroll and a spectacular view then attempt one of many many round walks close to the village of Denham in South Somerset that take you up Corton Hill to the Beacon. This breathtaking medieval panorama offers you clear views over the Somerset Ranges so far as Glastonbury Tor on an excellent day.
Additionally it is the excavated website of Cadbury Hill Fort which some consider was King Arthur’s Camelot, this opinion has been contested many occasions however whether or not it’s true or not doesn’t diminish the impressiveness of the positioning itself. A great choice is to park at Cadbury and start your stroll there, heading as much as the beacon after which again by means of the tiny Denham Village to the start line.
Frome – as soon as voted the prettiest village in England
Through the years Frome has cultivated a repute as a haven for artists and craftspeople and a draw for anybody who seeks a little bit of an alternate way of life….like Totnes in Devon or Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. It has beforehand been voted Prettiest Village in England and sixth greatest place to dwell within the UK. It deserves the accolades!
The quaint little market city is filled with historic buildings and the great cobbled Catherine Hill is lined with a high-quality array of quirky impartial retailers and cafes that concentrate on native meals and craftsmanship. The Market continues to be thriving for 3 days per week and on the primary Sunday of each month the curated Unbiased Market arrives.
That is good for seekers of extra uncommon items and objects from classic collectibles to regionally crafted merchandise. Annually in July Frome hosts an Arts Pageant and the entire city comes alive with efficiency, music and color.
Cheddar Gorge – some of the well-known magnificence spots in Somerset
Cheese Lovers beware, there are ample alternatives for sampling the beloved cheese that took its title from this beautiful little village within the Mendips, maybe most popularly The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Firm up on The Cliffs. Dairy items apart Cheddar Gorge was named the second biggest pure marvel in Britain by BBC’s viewers in 2005 and it deserves it.
Actually carved into the hills the limestone gorge is filled with spectacular caves and grottos filled with eerily stunning stalagmites and stalactites. The Cheddar Man, Britain’s oldest full human skeleton which is estimated to be 9000 years previous can be seen right here. Most of the caves have been scheduled as Historic Monuments and have impressed artists and writers, most notably J.R.R Tolkien who used them as inspiration for Helms Deep in The Lord Of The Rings.
Tub – some of the beautiful cities to discover in England
If you happen to haven’t but visited this stunning historic metropolis then make time! Of us have been flocking right here to wash within the therapeutic waters since Roman occasions and the stunningly intact Roman Baths are nonetheless an enormous draw for guests. For individuals who truly need to bathe head for Thermae Tub Spa, and revel in Britain’s solely pure thermal springs.
It wasn’t simply the Romans who cherished this place, the Georgian Gentry would flock right here too, together with Jane Austen who not solely used town as inspiration for Persuasion and Northanger Abbey but in addition lived right here between 1801 and 1806. There’s now a small museum devoted to the Writer that literature lovers can go to. She wasn’t the one one who cherished town, it additionally impressed Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, Anna Sewell, and Henry Fielding… others too discovered magnificence and class worthy of the pen within the scale and artistry of Tub’s streets and buildings. Make sure to take a look at the great Georgian structure by John Wooden the Elder and his son; Queen Sq., The Circus and The Royal Crescent are most likely essentially the most recognisable but in addition the very infrastructure from parks to promenades was constructed to entice essentially the most trendy of society.
Historical past apart however surprisingly consistent with the previous Tub is now thought of a fantastic spot for impartial procuring and eating. Make sure to drop by and see an previous pal of mine at http://www.theconnies.co.uk/ (The Connies Tea Room) for those who get a hankering for afternoon tea!
Mendip Hills – an space of excellent magnificence and one among England’s most particular locations
The rolling inexperienced hills of the Mendips are an AONB that stretch for 76 sq. miles throughout three counties, however the bulk of them are in Somerset. This historical and breathtaking panorama encompasses many great caves and grottoes together with Wookey Gap Caves, the place legend has it a depraved witch was turned to stone by a monk from Glastonbury, her petrified statue may be seen within the present cave.
There’s additionally a Victorian penny arcade which blew my thoughts as a baby and the oldest extant paper mill close by. Walkers can take pleasure in many lengthy and quick distance treks that embody the perfect pure and historic websites that the Mendips have to supply, together with at least 286 examples of spherical barrows courting again to the Neolithic interval and quite a few different historical monuments equivalent to Cadbury Citadel and Stanton Drew Stone Circle.
Wells and Wells Cathedral – a stunning medieval metropolis to discover in Somerset
The little metropolis of Wells on the sting of the Mendips holds a fond place in my coronary heart as I visited many occasions with my late mom and grandmother, each of whom cherished the sumptuous structure of the Cathedral and the quaint cobbled streets of town.
The Cathedral is kind of distinctive for a lot of causes, it’s the oldest surviving instance of a Gothic Cathedral in England and was constructed between 1175 and 1490, something that took over 300 years to construct have to be value a go to eh? Inside you’ll discover great stained glass together with the Jesse window and the wonderful ‘scissor arches’, additionally high-quality medieval sculpture, a ravishing chapter home, and the second oldest clock mechanism in Britain.
Adjoining the cathedral is Vicars Shut which includes 27 grade 1 listed buildings together with an iconic chimney. You’ll additionally discover the 800-year-old Bishops Palace and the magnificent surrounding gardens and, simply outdoors the partitions, Milton Lodge Gardens; a fairytale panorama with a beautiful view of town. You’ll be able to take pleasure in meals and drinks in one of many many conventional pubs or pavement cafes and lighten the pockets somewhat in a high-quality alternative of impartial retailers!
Porlock Weir and Frequent – a tranquil nook and a stunning place to discover in Somerset
It’s pretty unimaginable to get any quainter than Porlock Weir, this small fishing village in West Somerset has existed in a single type or one other for over a thousand years and has a wealthy and various historical past.
The seventeenth century Gibraltar Cottages, a row of tiny thatched and whitewashed homes, have been designated English Heritage. It’s an idyllic setting the place boats bob peacefully within the harbour and you’ve got quick access to the North West Coastal Path and Exmoor. Exmoor adventures are primarily based in Porlock Weir and thrill-seekers can e book various water sports activities by means of them in addition to coasteering, mountain biking, and mountaineering.
Walkers can take pleasure in a surprising hike as much as Porlock Frequent a stretch of purple heathered heathland on the prime of Exmoor with breathtaking views of the channel and South Wales, or soak up a number of the beautiful shoreline alongside the South West Coastal Path, wild, stunning, and unmissable for anybody who loves nature as I do!
Glastonbury – probably the quirkiest city in England
It’s not only a pageant you recognize! Glastonbury village is assumed to take a seat on some fairly highly effective ley traces and its springs, stone tor and abbey had been a draw for seekers of every kind of spirituality and therapeutic lengthy earlier than rock and roll was invented. Let’s begin with the Tor, a stone tower up on a excessive hill above the city with wonderful views throughout the Somerset Ranges.
Many myths and legends are related to the place however my favorite is that it’s residence of Gwyn Ap Nudd, king of the fairies and that whenever you stroll by means of its archway you momentarily cross into one other realm, leaving the place lifted and invigorated by fae spirits! The therapeutic springs may be discovered on the historical Chalice Nicely and the Crimson Spring, or the extra subdued White Spring. Different historical landmarks in ‘The Isle of Avalon’ as Glastonbury was recognized again within the day, are the archaic oak timber Gog and Magog, though sadly Gog was set afire in 2017!
And final however not least the gorgeous ruined abbey the place legend says King Arthur himself was laid to relaxation. Many individuals make the up to date pilgrimage to Glastonbury to search out some sense of spirituality and reference to the traditional world and that is mirrored within the companies on provide there. Pagan and Wicca suppliers, bookshops, crystals, wind chimes, and fairy garlands rub shoulders with natural supermarkets, vegan cafes, and fortune-tellers…go along with an open thoughts and also you received’t be disenchanted!
Allerford – a small fairly village surrounded by stunning Somerset surroundings
Allerford is just like the uber-quaint of Somerset villages…. it brings to thoughts many episodes of Midsomer Murders! It’s most recognized for its picturesque Packhorse Bridge, inbuilt fifteenth Century to cross the Aller Brook.
The village is bursting on the seams with beautiful interval buildings thatched and in any other case and a ravishing Victorian Schoolroom. Those that need to dig deeper into the historical past can go to the Rural Life Museum located right here. If museums aren’t your cup of tea then how about an precise cuppa on the conventional Kitnors Tea Room? Or maybe some fowl motion on the Owl and Falconry Centre.
If that you must stroll off your Scones then stroll to the coastal hamlet of Bossington and stroll out onto the pebbly seashore for high-quality views of Hurlstone Level.
Quantocks – one other space of excellent magnificence with stunning views, wilderness and tranquility
The Quantock Hills in North West Somerset are designated an Space Of Excellent Pure Magnificence and the panorama and villages inside are protected. They’re a haven for nature – lovers, a peaceable wilderness of Heather swathed hills, meadows and panoramic views.
Throughout the Quantocks are a number of historic villages, maybe the loveliest of which is Stogursey. Inside this small medieval market city are greater than 60 listed buildings and historical monuments together with the ruins of Stogursey Citadel, owned momentarily by two of Henry lll wives, a holy nicely, fragments of an 11Century priory and a Norman priory church.
On the seashore close to Stogursey are the stays of a submerged forest that date again so far as 2500 BC and as you possibly can think about there’s an abundance of folklore linked to the place and the encompassing space. An ideal mix of historical past and nature, the Quantocks are the right vacation spot for lovers of each.
Dunster – a stunning village which is standard with vacationers
Dunster is an impressively intact Medieval village on the sting of Exmoor Nationwide Park. Its wealthy historical past goes all the way in which again to the Iron Age, Tony Robinson even introduced his Time Group right here for a dig! The village is dominated by the breathtaking fortress which sits atop the hill and protects its environment.
There was a fortress there because the late Anglo Saxon period and components of the unique stronghold nonetheless stay, nevertheless, the majority of its present incarnation dates to the seventeenth,18th, and nineteenth Centuries when it was owned and expanded by the Lutrell household. It now seems extra gothic and picturesque and through summer season months hosts many desirable occasions equivalent to jousting. The fortress is one among many distinctive and historical buildings to discover. Within the village, additionally, you will discover the enduring spherical thatched yarn market, the ruins of a Benedictine Priory, a working watermill, and Packhorse Bridge.
When you’ve got had your fill of historical past simply stride off into Exmoor for some stunning nation walks or head in direction of the seashore at Minehead. Look out for the protected Exmoor ponies if you end up traversing the moor! Additionally, pixies, ghosts, and even the Satan himself if folklore of the world is to be believed!
Burnham-on-Sea – some of the stunning seashores in Somerset
Sitting on the Northernmost tip of Brean Seaside, the second-longest sandy seashore in Europe, is the standard seaside city of Burnham-On-Sea. It sports activities an iconic lighthouse on stilts and the shortest pier in Britain and is a superb vacation spot for households searching for an excellent quaint seaside vacation!
It has all the pieces you’ll count on from a Victorian seaside resort, fish and chips, amusement arcades, seashore actions, candy retailers, and a stunning promenade. It additionally has Brean Down, an attention-grabbing 97 metre excessive headland that protrudes out into the water forming a pure pier and supplies a fantastic vacation spot for walkers searching for panoramic views over the Bristol Channel and Somerset Ranges.
Ebbor Gorge Nationwide Nature Reserve – among the best locations to go to in Somerset
Lovely although they’re, Cheddar and Wookey Gap may be very heavy on the tourism, so these of you who need to immerse your self within the prehistoric panorama with out the hype ought to head to Ebbor Gorge Nature Reserve.
This hanging gorge set inside a 63-hectare reserve comprising woodland walks, babbling streams good for a paddle, sheer rock faces and panoramic views is owned by the Nationwide Belief. Really a hidden gem cocooned inside the Mendips the Gorge it’s a fantastic place to spend a day getting again to nature.
There are some good round walks that take you thru the slim mossy gorge, previous secret caverns and up the rocky path to seize wonderful views from the highest. A novel and delightful pure marvel to not be missed!
Sand Bay – a fantastic place in Somerset to go to with the household
This wild stretch of seashore between Weston woods and Sand Level is the right spot for a contemplative windswept stroll, particularly because the solar is setting!
There are minimal facilities, simply a carpark and a few native retailers, so it’s clever to pack a picnic and set off alongside the coastal path the place you possibly can soak up some actually wonderful and unspoilt views. It’s a excellent spot to soak up the shoreline with out the distractions of the larger cities.
You’ll be able to stroll up alongside the headline for sweeping vistas or follow the sand and shingle seashore if you wish to dip your toes in…canine homeowners your pooch will adore it!
Kilve – famed for being the Jurassic coast on the Bristol Channel
The rocky headland at Kilve Seaside is known as a website to behold particularly for those who love geology as there are many wonderful fossils to be discovered within the uncommon rock formations.
Massive ammonites and reptile stays may be seen as you stroll alongside the stony seashore. The jagged rocks and hidden coves made the world good for smugglers and within the village of Kilve itself, you’ll discover the ruins of the previous Chantry the place barrels of unlawful spirits had been saved again within the 1300s!
The village is small and picturesque, an excellent place from which to discover the Quantock hills and lovely Somerset shoreline.
