Somerset Tourist Information

Somerset is an unique County covering 1,333 square miles, steeped in folklore and legend.

The County has a diversity of landscape including part of the Exmoor National Park, long sandy beaches, family resorts, intriguing follies, historic villages and market towns. There are many Somerset Tourist Information centres throughout the County to help you plan your visit.

Five ranges of hills, the Levels and Moors (the flatlands of the County), sign posted trails such as the South West Coast Path, the Parrett Trail, Two Moors Way and the Taunton to Bridgwater Canal towpath make Somerset an attractive destination for families, walkers and cyclists. Children will love to ride the donkeys on the beaches at Burnham-on-Sea or Weston-Super-Mare. Somerset Tourist Information is available in both towns, also along the coast at Minehead.

In South Somerset warm honey-coloured Hamstone has been used for generations to build little towns and villages as well as the Stately Homes with marvellous gardens, such as Montecute House and Barrington Court.

The South Somerset Tourist Information Centre is at Petters Way in Yeovil. Near Yeovil is Cadbury Castle, an impressive iron-age hill fort alleged to be King Arthur’s Camelot.

Glastonbury Abbey also lays claim to connections with 'the Once and Future King' - legend claims that King Arthur was buried in the Abbey beside his wife Queen Guinevere. Glastonbury Tourist Information is available in the High Street, Glastonbury.

Not far from Glastonbury is Wells, England's smallest city with a magnificent 13th century cathedral and a delightful market square, where you will find the Somerset Tourist Information centre. Markets are still held in Wells each Wednesday and Saturday.

The caves at Wookey Hole and at Cheddar Gorge will transport you back to prehistoric times - special lighting transforms the caves into dramatic and memorable attractions.

Shopoholics and bargain hunters should visit Clarks Village at Street, for factory shopping on a grand scale. Somerset Tourist Information can be found in the towns of Street, Shepton Mallet, Frome and at Cheddar Gorge.

Taunton, Somerset's historic county town, offers good shopping facilities, entertainment and a famous castle, now the home of the Somerset County Museum. Further south, towards the Devon borders, the wooded length of the Blackdown Hills are dominated by the town of Wellington, with its monument to the Duke of Wellington (the Iron Duke), which can be seen for miles. Both Taunton and Wellington have Somerset Tourist Information centres.

Exmoor National Park, is an extensive area of wild open unspoilt countryside, famous for the wild red deer and Exmoor ponies. Walkers and horse riders find the footpaths and bridle-ways across Exmoor well maintained and sign posted.

Nearer to the heart of Somerset are the wooded Brendon Hills, charming remote villages and the Quantocks, gentle hill walking country with quiet coombes reaching to the sea. The Quantocks have been designated as an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty', which once inspired the English poets Wordsworth and Coleridge to produce some of their finest works.

This is cider and cheese country with a tradition of providing excellent local produce. Regular Farmers' Markets throughout the county give you the opportunity to buy direct from the supplier. There are several vineyards in Somerset, open to the public. For a real taste of the West Country and an ideal place to recharge the batteries, Somerset is a County easy to get to but hard to leave.