Parts of Somerset have been deeply underwater in the long drenched weeks of winter – but this gentle county does not deserve to be underfoot.
The Somerset Levels, the unique Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty wetlands at the heart of the county have had more than their fill but there is some high ground to shout very loudly from too! The Mendips, the Quantocks, the Brendons, the Blackdowns – the food of Geography lessons – and the wilds of Exmoor rising above the rest, all circle the Levels with an open invitation to follow the ancient routes, the drovers’ pathways and bridleways – there is easy access to Somerset off-piste! To compete with the landscape, in an enthusiastic show of history, Somerset has some incredible vantage points too, standing witness to the unwelcome temporary inland sea – King Alfred’s Tower balanced on the Somerset/Wiltshire border, iron-age Cadbury Castle with its vast encircling rings, and iconic Glastonbury Tor.
En-route, but only just off route, discover two great journey breaks – a simple wooden bench with an overwhelming panorama on the very edge of the Mendip Hills where they plunge down South towards Wells, and Burrow Mump (yes, real name), a tiny ruined chapel on a surprise of a hill; an easy-going little sister to Glastonbury Tor without the challenging climb but with the view !
Settle down in a Somerset holiday cottage, the perfect base from which to explore the sights of the Levels and beyond.
