Towns of Somerset

Below we have listed our choice of the most charming towns and villages in Somerset along with a pair of beautiful cities. All have plenty of historical interest, fine old buildings, and no shortage of things to see and do.

Axbridge

Axbridge is a picturesque former market town on the southern fringe of the Mendip Hills. This small town has a medieval market square, narrow streets and old buildings, including timber … Read More

Bath

Nestling in the rolling Somerset countryside, Bath offers a wide range of attractions for its millions of visitors each year: restaurants, theatres, cinemas, pubs and nightclubs rub shoulders with interesting … Read More

Bridgwater

Bridgwater stands on the River Parrett. The area has been known to have been settled for at least a thousand years. In the Domesday Book, it is described as an … Read More

Burnham on Sea

Burnham-On-Sea was mentioned in the will of King Alfred as a royal domain, so its history goes way back to Saxon times. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book, as … Read More

Castle-Cary

Castle Cary was mentioned in Domesday Book as “Cari” from the Celtic “creag” meaning rocky hill. An important Norman castle was built, around the beginning of the 12th century on … Read More

Chard

Chard is the highest town in Somerset, at 500 feet above sea level, and the most southerly, lying very close to the Devon border. A hill fort exists on the … Read More

Cheddar

Everyone has heard of Cheddar, if only because of the cheese. These days, the cheese is probably the least of the attractions as so-called cheddar cheese is manufactured all over … Read More

Clevedon

The town of Clevedon is situated on the Bristol Channel Coast and was originally a hillside settlement. The moorland in and around Clevedon was densely occupied during the Roman occupation … Read More

Crewkerne

Although it is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, there has been a settlement in Crewkerne since before the Norman Conquest. There are several interesting buildings in the old market … Read More

Dunster

Dunster is a picturesque village located on the fringes of Exmoor. Characterised by thatched cottages, a unique octagonal yarn market and the romantic, turreted, Dunster Castle, the village is steeped … Read More

Exmoor

The high plateau of Exmoor is criss-crossed by numerous streams and slashed by a few deep river valleys. It rises up steeply from the gentler farmland and eventually stretches to … Read More

Frome

Towards the end of the 7th century, St. Aldhelm, Abbot of Malmesbury, set up a mission on the banks of the River Frome. This is believed to have been the … Read More

Glastonbury

What is history and what is legend? There are plenty of both at Glastonbury. Ancient tradition tells tales of the Isle of Avalon, the place of the dead. Glastonbury has … Read More

Ilminster

The charming country town of Ilminster is set in the beautiful countryside of South West Somerset. It lies just off the main London to Penzance trunk road and is an … Read More

Langport

The historic town of Langport, on the banks of the River Parrett, claims to be the smallest town in England. Langport and all the villages around are part of the … Read More

Minehead

In the 15th century Minehead was still a mainly agricultural area. However, the position of the settlement, on the north coast of Somerset, between Exmoor and the sea, meant that … Read More

Nailsea

Nailsea is in a beautiful rural location of North Somerset, about eight miles south west of Bristol. The pennant sandstone, which lies beneath this area, has provided stone for building … Read More

Porlock

Nestling at the foot of Porlock Hill at the western end of the Porlock Vale, Porlock lies between a shingle ridge, with extensive views over the Bristol Channel, and by … Read More

Radstock

Neither this town nor its near neighbour, Midsomer Norton, is mentioned in the Domesday Book, but the area is believed to have been settled since the Iron Age. Both towns … Read More

Shepton Mallet

Shepton Mallet is an ideal centre from which to visit the many tourist attractions of this area, including other fascinating towns such as Bath, Wells and Glastonbury. The town is … Read More

Somerton

Somerton is said to have given its name to the county of Somerset. It was certainly one of the main residences of the Saxon kings who built a castle here … Read More

Street

Street is a thriving village close to Glastonbury, on the slopes of the Polden Hills, where the Romans mined stone. Blue Lias is a rock peculiar to the south west … Read More

Taunton

Taunton, the county town of Somerset, is a bustling market town situated on the River Tone between the Quantock, Blackdown and Brendon Hills. With a population of more than fifty … Read More

Watchet

It is believed that Watchet began with the arrival of St Decuman from what is now South Wales. Legend says that he arrived on a raft with only a cow … Read More

Wellington

The earliest reference to the town of Wellington is to be found in a grant made at the very beginning of the 10th century, where it was called “Weolingtun”. In … Read More

Wells

Wells is the smallest city in England: a city purely because of the presence of its famous cathedral. In reality, this quiet Somerset backwater, with only about 10,000 residents, has … Read More

Weston super Mare

The name Weston-super-Mare is made up of Saxon words meaning the west tun or settlement, and the Latin words super, meaning above, and mare, meaning sea: in other words, the … Read More

Wincanton

Wincanton, in South Somerset, is uniquely twinned with a fictional town: Ankh-Morpork, a city state in Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” novels. At least someone on the local council had a sense … Read More

Wiveliscombe

Wiveliscombe … Read More

Yeovil

Yeovil, located near the Somerset-Dorset border, is a thriving market town with a population of around 40,000. The name is derived from the River Yeo (or Ivel as it sometimes … Read More