Things to do

The mystical town of Glastonbury is right on the doorstep, with its high street a haven of offbeat shops and health food cafes. Browse healing crystals or have your fortune read. Now a centre of New Age culture, it has a rich cultural and spiritual history with legend having it that it’s the final resting place of King Arthur. The world famous Glastonbury Festival is actually held a few miles away in the village of Pilton.

Wells, England’s smallest city, is well worth a visit with its vast Gothic cathedral described as one of the most beautiful in the country. Next door is the Bishop’s Palace, entered via a flagstone drawbridge over the moat. Once inside the ramparts you can wander around the beautiful gardens and explore the medieval buildings. There are lots of independent cafes lining the pretty cobbled square.

The city’s Roman Baths first attracted visitors nearly 2,000 years ago, and remain a major tourist attraction today. They would bathe in the waters of the natural thermal springs, which still flow with hot water now, although visitors are no longer allowed to go into the water. Instead, you can have a dip in the open air rooftop pool at the luxurious Thermae Bath Spa nearby.

The gorge – a narrow valley with steep rocky walls – is the largest in Britain and would have begun forming around one million years ago during the last Ice Age after water from melting glaciers created a river which carved into the limestone rock. You can pay to visit the caves, or simply enjoy the dramatic scenery outside for free.

Head north and you can pay a visit to the sandy Somerset beaches of Weston-super-Mare or Brean, where you can enjoy the full British seaside experience of piers, fish and chips and donkey rides. To the south, the dramatic Jurassic coast is a great place for a day trip. Charmouth, Burton Bradstock and Lyme Regis are all an hour’s drive away.

There are many local National Trust properties to choose from, including Lytes Cary Manor, Montacute House, Barrington Court, Tintinhull Garden. There is also the world famous Stourhead, where you can explore the grotto and temples which look out on the lake.

The Newt in Somerset is just a 20 minute drive away. There you can stroll through the tree tops on the canopy walkway, enjoy acres of formal gardens, spot a stag in the deer park, and learn about cyder making on a tasting tour. Its painstaking reconstruction of a Roman villa is not to be missed.

For culture, the world renowned Hauser and Wirth has a gallery in Bruton, with a recent major exhibition of sculptor Henry Moore and a showcase of Phyllida Barlow for the rest of 2024. Children can run off steam outside in the landscaped gardens designed by Piet Oudolf.

Enjoy a pint by the roaring fire in winter or sit outside in the pretty beer garden on a summer’s day. This smart yet traditional thatched pub offers great food in a charming setting, with traditional flagstone floors, exposed beams, and cosy nooks and crannies. The slide outside is popular with kids.

The Sheppey serves up pub grub with a creative twist. Outside, tables on decking overlook the river which gives the pub its name. Inside you’ll find eccentric curios and modern art everywhere you look, along with a regularly changing choice of beers, ales, and local ciders.

Queen of Cups serves Middle Eastern cuisine in a former coaching inn dating back to the 17th century. Enjoy seasonal and sustainably sourced sharing plates in a casual atmosphere. The restaurant has only been going a couple of years and was recently awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand.