Somerset: Beaches, Exmoor, A Tiny City, Scrumpy!
Somerset is a large county in south west England. You have the popular seaside resorts like Weston-super-Mare (the huge tidal range means the beaches go out for miles, but also present quicksand dangers).
Then inland you have so-called ‘Tess country’, named after the novel by Thomas Hardy, set in the county.
Always follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe.
If at the coast, read our post on keeping dogs safe by the seaside.
Exmoor: Wild Moorland and Starry Nights
This is one of England’s smallest national parks, which covers west Somerset and North Devon. It’s the only National Park with a coast, and also features fast-flowing rivers, deep wooded valleys and heather-covered moors. It’s also of course (like Dartmoor and the New Forest), known for its wild ponies who graze the open grassland.
Never feed or disturb wild ponies. They can eat on their own, and there are local experts to keep an eye on them.
If any need help, notify the Exmoor Pony Society and the Moorland Mousie Trust.
Somerset Levels: Wetlands Rich with Wildlife
Restoring our wetlands is so important to provide habitats for wading birds to dragonflies. Along with the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, the Somerset Levels are one of the most important wetland habitats in England, shaped by rivers and peat to provide lowlands that are haven for local wildlife, thanks to reed beds and shallow lakes.
Here you’ll find bitterns, marsh harriers and thousands of winter starlings, who call this place home.
Cheddar Man (England’s Oldest Intact Skeleton)
A Somerset landmark is Cheddar Gorge (nothing to do with cheese!) that sees a 450-foot cliff tower over a winding road, creating a dramatic gateway to the Mendip Hills. Formed by floods during the Ice Age, it’s home to around 100 endangered cave-dwelling Lesser Horseshoe bats.
This area is buzzing with life from soaring skylarks overhead to the quirky black oil beetle (its protruding tummy being described as looking like ‘someone whose waistcoat won’t button up!)’
It was here that Cheddar Man was found. He turned out to be England’s oldest ‘whole person skeleton’ ever found. What’s interesting is that he had black skin and blue eyes (a bit like that actor off CSI). So it does indeed suggest that we have African ancestry – over to you, Reform party!
Two other local boys with blue eyes (with blonde hair) from the village of Cheddar were Matt & Luke Goss (from 90s pop band Bros).
Wells: England’s Smallest City
Wells is England’s smallest city, which surprisingly doesn’t have a train station (there used to be three). For now, the closest station is Castle Cary (a small town 24 miles south of Bath, which lies between the Mendip Hills and Blackmore Vale).
Wells Cathedral was built between the 12th and 15th centuries, it’s known for unique scissor arches and over 300 carved statues on its West Front. The soaring ceilings and stained-glass windows fill the space with colour, and the Chapter House Stairs are known for their worn stone steps.
Next to the cathedral, The Bishop’s Palace has been home to bishops for over 800 years. The 14 acres of peaceful gardens including ancient wells, which give the city its name. Vicar’s Close is Europe’s oldest residential street, built in the 14th century.
Weston-super-Mare: Classic Seaside Fun
Known for a wide sandy beach, this is ‘the best of the English seaside’, from a resort that lets you see all the way to Wales, on a clear day.
Be careful with quicksand, always follow local signs for people and dogs.
Jill Dando was raised here, and there is a memorial garden in her name, after her tragic murder. ‘Jill’s Garden’ took 3 days of work by the BBC Ground Force team, and contains her favourite flowers (roses, lavender and trees) plus a foaming fountain, a disabled ramp and a sensory garden.
Somerset Scrumpy: Craft Cider
Somerset is cider country! Apple orchards are common here, to make craft cider and fruit juices. Dunkerton’s Cider uses local apples, and it’s a vegan cider too, perfect with your Sunday lunch!
Glastonbury: Not Just a Music Festival
The town of Glastonbury is famed for its hippy origins. When a McDonald’s opened in the area, locals staged a protest on stilts, picking up all the local litter within 100m. And handing it to the store manager!
The music festival is actually held near the nearby village of Pilton, whose population swells from 1000 to 200,000 each summer. The locals don’t mind that much, as the festival-goers are a pretty peaceful lot, and obviously bring in income for the pubs!
The festival does generate huge amounts of litter. But it has things in order, with chosen litter pickers (who get their own campsite with flushing toilets and meal vouchers) going into action when the festival ends. Leaving the place pristine within a few days. Unusual items found include:
- A grandfather clock
- A bra with poo in it
- A wig that someone had vomited in
- People sleeping under piles of clothes!
