In addition to history, culture and miles upon miles of greenery, waterways and moorland, on holiday in Somerset you’ll come across famous names responsible for some of our best-loved food and drink, like Cheddar Cheese, Thatchers Cider, Yeo Valley Yoghurt, Butcombe Beer and Aldwick Wine to name just a few. With the M5 running straight through, it connects easily to London and makes this county simple to reach, wherever you are in the UK.
Where to stay
Rodney Stoke Caravan Park, Cheddar
Cheddar Gorge and Caves (and Wookey Hole, of course) are bound to be on your itinerary if your UK holiday brings you to Somerset, boasting cheese and walking opportunities in equal measure. This is an ideal stopping point if you’re leaving the kids behind, as this is an adult-only campsite. You’ll find it at the foot of the Mendip Hills between Cheddar and the Cathedral City of Wells.
St Audries Bay, West Quantoxhead
If you fancy a stint closer to the coast, we can heartily recommend this family run holiday resort that has great access to the beach and is situated in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. When you savour a glass of wine in the evening admiring the lovely views across the bay, you’ll understand why.
5 Acres, Taunton
Visit this flat and grassy five-acre site (get it?), deep in the Somerset Levels, for quiet and relaxing semi-wild camping. Pitch up in the field wherever you like or book one of two electric hook up pitches. Awnings and pup tents are allowed and children under 16 also stay free of charge.
Somerset Days out
Best for families: Weston-super-Mare
This original British seaside resort is steeped in Victorian history. The long stretch of glorious, sandy beach is dog and family friendly and easily accessible, with no steep walkways to access it. The vast promenade offers vistas over the beach and sea to Brean Down, Steep Holm, Flat Holm and even across the channel to Wales.
The famous Grand Pier stretches out into the sea and at the end, having been rebuilt after the fire in 2008, you’ll find the Pavilion complete with kiosks, rides and fun for the whole family. Your Somerset holiday won’t be complete without fish ‘n’ chips overlooking the bay at sunset, and there’s plenty of options and space to enjoy both!
Best for scenery: Cheddar Gorge
It’s the biggest gorge in Great Britain with dramatic cliffs rising 450 feet that are wonderfully imposing whether you’re cycling past, driving through or hiking across the gorge. Be sure to allow some time to explore the stunning stalactite caverns below ground, too, that were carved out by Ice Age meltwaters over millions of years. This world-famous beauty spot is a National Nature Reserve and a renowned site of prehistoric discoveries.
Best for history: Bishop’s Palace and Wells
The Bishop’s Palace in Wells dates from the early thirteenth century, when Bishop Jocelin Trotman received a crown licence to build a residence and deer park south of the Cathedral of St Andrew. It’s still home to the bishop (alas, not Bishop Trotman, who died eight centuries ago) and other families, but visitors may walk in the footsteps of past bishops through many rooms within the Palace. While you’re in Wells, it’s worth taking time to visit the magnificent cathedral and wander along the High Street, filled with boutiques and independent shops. Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days in the cobbled area outside the palace gates, where you can buy all manner of local produce and artisan crafts.
Somerset Beaches
Best for families: Middle Hope
Known as The Strand, Middle Hope beach is a wide expanse of sand with some areas of shingle and a variety of rock pools. As the tide goes out this sandy stretch of beach becomes ideal for beach games and for building sandcastles.
Best for dogs: Blue Anchor Bay
Another long, sandy, fantastic beach, it is sprinkled with alabaster rocks where you can hunt for fossils while your dog is romping across the sand into the lapping waves.
Best for wildlife: Minehead Beach
Just north of Weston-Super-Mare is the peninsula of Sand Point – a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a peaceful antidote to the donkey rides and pier. To the south is Sand Bay, whilst on the northern side you’ll find the small sand and shingle cove of Middle Hope.
See this
Somerset Levels
This is now one of Somerset’s most protected landscapes, having once been exploited for salt and savagely dug for peat. The Levels are now properly managed and have been transformed into Wetland Nature Reserves and agriculture.
High on the list of places to visit here are the Avalon Marshes, one of the largest lowland wetlands in Britain and where you’ll find open water, reed beds, heathland and woodlands peacefully sharing the landscape. It’s a haven for plants, animals and birds, with people travelling from miles away to witness the famous and fabulous starling murmurations. If you’re not familiar with them, these magnificent displays are the many thousands of starlings all leaving their roosts together and swirling in seemingly choreographed formations. It really does have to be seen to be believed.
Wild Ponies on Exmoor
Exmoor National Park, spanning Somerset and Devon, boasts 267 square miles of amazing landscapes, moors, woodlands, coastal valleys and farmland, with stunning views encompassing land and sea. As well as being a wild and wonderful place to walk for many miles in every season (remember: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing!), it’s home to the famous Exmoor ponies that roam freely.
There are at least twenty different herds on the moor, with foals born in spring and early summer. They’re a wonderful bonus to any landscape photograph, but please, please remember that these beautiful horses are wild animals and should never be approached, touched or fed – for their safety and wellbeing as well as yours.
Do this
Climb Glastonbury Tor
This iconic hill and its 15th century tower that rises from the mists on the Somerset Levels is synonymous with myth and mystery as much as it is rich in history. It is said that beneath the tor is a cave through which you may pass into the fairy realm of Annwn, also known as the Isle of Avalon, where King Arthur rested after his last battle. The monks of Glastonbury Abbey even claim to have found his grave in 1191.
Whether or not you believe the legend, you’ll have no problem embracing the views from the top of the hill. Believe us, the panoramic (yup, that’s a full 360º of uninterrupted horizon) are amazing on a clear day and make the climb well worth it.
Visit the Roman Baths
The Roman Baths and Pump House in Bath is one of the greatest religious spas in the ancient world. Though much of it is now only remains, the city’s thermal springs rise on this site and the baths still flow with natural hot water. At the nearby Thermae Bath Spa you can even still bathe at certain times.
Eat this
Cheddar Strawberries
It’s not just cheese that Cheddar is famous for. Cheddar strawberries are a sweet, tasty delight that you’ll often find at roadside stalls from late spring and throughout the summer. Make sure you stop to pick up a punnet or two – or pick your own at one of the fruit farms – on your way to the Mendips, in search of a sunny spot to enjoy them in peace.
Sally Lunn Bun
For the uninitiated, it’s a large bun or teacake made with cream and eggs and served warm with butter. Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating house in Bath is believed to be the birthplace way back in 1780 – and they’re still serving them today.
Drink this
Somerset Cider
Who hasn’t heard of Somerset scrumpy? Some of the oldest and finest ciders originate and are still brewed in Somerset, including Thatchers in Sandford. You can visit them at Myrtle Farm, where you can wander through their apple orchards, buy the cider at their shop or relax and enjoy a pint at the nearby The Railway Inn.
Download the Somerset cider map and discover cider farms all over Somerset.
Aldwick Wine
The family-run Aldwick Estate is the largest of Somerset’s vineyards and is set on a hillside in the Chew Valley overlooking Blagdon Lake. It’s almost five acres of vineyard, growing six different grapes that produce crisp white, red, rose and sparkling blush wines. As you’d expect, they offer tours and tastings, so make sure you’re parked within walking distance.
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