-
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…
-
Bath
Nestling in the rolling Somerset countryside, Bath offers a wide range of attractions for its millions of visitors each year: restaurants, theatres,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Clevedon
The town of Clevedon is situated on the Bristol Channel Coast and was originally a hillside settlement. The moorland in and around Clevedon…
-
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…
-
Dunster
Dunster is a picturesque village located on the fringes of Exmoor. Characterised by thatched cottages, a unique octagonal yarn market and the…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Minehead
In the 15th century Minehead was still a mainly agricultural area. However, the position of the settlement, on the north coast of Somerset,…
-
Nailsea
Nailsea is in a beautiful rural location of North Somerset, about eight miles south west of Bristol. The pennant sandstone, which lies beneath…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Taunton
Taunton, the county town of Somerset, is a bustling market town situated on the River Tone between the Quantock, Blackdown and Brendon Hills.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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,…
-
Wincanton
Wincanton, in South Somerset, is uniquely twinned with a fictional town: Ankh-Morpork, a city state in Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld”…
-
Wiveliscombe
Wiveliscombe
-
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…