Somerset Guide

Somerset Towns, Villages and Districts

  • Axbridge

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    Dunster is a picturesque village located on the fringes of Exmoor. Characterised by thatched cottages, a unique octagonal yarn market and the…

  • Exmoor

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    Nailsea is in a beautiful rural location of North Somerset, about eight miles south west of Bristol. The pennant sandstone, which lies beneath…

  • Porlock

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    Taunton, the county town of Somerset, is a bustling market town situated on the River Tone between the Quantock, Blackdown and Brendon Hills.…

  • Watchet

    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

    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

    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

    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

    Wincanton, in South Somerset, is uniquely twinned with a fictional town: Ankh-Morpork, a city state in Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld”…

  • Wiveliscombe

    Wiveliscombe

    Wiveliscombe

  • Yeovil

    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…

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