Here in the heart of England's west country, you will find historic houses and beautiful gardens, world-class museums, bustling towns and pretty villages.
Best of all, this classic English countryside has perfect places to picnic, great spots for golf and fishing and miles of footpaths and tracks for walking, cycling and horse-riding.
We look forward to offering you a warm Somerset welcome in 2013 and showing you our special part of England…
SOUTH SOMERSET COUNTRYSIDE
1,100 miles of paths and tracks make this the perfect countryside for people who love rambling and walking. The diverse landscape includes wooded hills and valleys and the Somerset Levels and Moors - one of the lowest and flattest places in the UK and an important habitat.
Some great places to explore....
Chard Reservior Local Nature reserve
Green Flag Award winner. Peaceful countryside site. Orchid meadows, native woodlands and excellent bird watching on open water from hide. Good surfaced pathways.
Touches Lane, Chard
T: 01935 462462
W: southsomersetcountryside.com
Eastfield Local Nature Reserve
A small, south facing, grassland site alive with insects and butterflies in the summer months.
High Ham, Langport
Ham Hill Country Park
400 acre open access Country Park, superb countryside and Iron Age earthworks. Panoramic views of Somerset. Green Flag Award winner.
Stoke sub Hamdon TA14 6RW
T: 01935 823617
Moldrams Ground Local Nature Reserve
Beautiful woodland and grassland wildlife site. Ponds with dragonflies and newts. Peaceful for bird watching and picnics.
Pen Selwood, Nr Wincanton
Yeovil Country Park
Green Flag Award winning countryside site. Woodlands and grasslands, river and lakes including Ninesprings and Valley Gardens.
Brunswick Street, Yeovil
GreenBreaks is a local travel company - offering chance to explore South Somerset and Dorset, particularly local culture, food, customs, history, art and the countryside through walking, cycling, and GreenBreaks.
Postal address: Manor Farmhouse, Norton Sub Hamdon, Somerset TA14 6SG
T: 01935 881227
W: green-breaks.co.uk
These towns bustle with events and activities, quirky characters, independent shops and street markets.
Shops range from the traditional butchers and bakers, ironmongers and drapers, to classy clothes shops and art galleries, books and antiques shops. There are many places to eat and drink - quaint old hostelries, modern bistros and fine dining in smart restaurants.
Bruton
A picturesque little hillside town on the river Brue, with Jacobean almshouses, abbey remains and a famous dovecote (NT). Narrow alleys link the high street with a riverside walk, 15th century Packhorse Bridge and a magnificent twin-towered church.
More information about Bruton can be found at
Bruton Museum and Local Information Centre, The Dovecote Building, 26 High Street, Bruton BA10 0AA
Chard
The High Street is flanked by two streams and a variety of shops. Chard's history since the 13th century is told in the museum which also has the Stringfellow Collection celebrating the inventor of powered flight.
More information about Chard can be found at chardmuseum.co.uk
Chard Tourist Information Centre, The Guildhall, Fore Street, Chard TA20 1PP T: 01460 260051
Castle Cary
Busy market town with a winding main street of golden stone and an 18th century round house lock-up on Bailey Hill, one of the best-preserved town lock-ups in the country.
More information about Castle Cary at castlecarymuseum.org.uk
Castle Cary and Ansford District Museum and Local Information Centre, The Market House, Castle Cary BA7 7AH T: 01963 350 680
Crewkerne
An important town since before the Norman Conquest, with many fine old buildings and a magnificent 15th century church. Nelson's captain, Sir Thomas Hardy, attended the grammar school which was founded in 1499.
More information about Crewkerne at crewkernemuseum.co.uk
Crewkerne Local Information Centre, Town Hall, Market Square, Crewkerne TA18 7LN
Ilchester
Once a major Roman garrison town on the Fosse Way and the county town of Somerset until the 19th century, Ilchester has some fine Georgian houses and town hall and a 13th century church tower that changes from square to octagonal as it rises.
More information about Ilchester can be found at the...
Ilchester Museum, High Street, Ilchester BA22 8NQ, T: 01935 841247
Ilminster
The Minster of the town's name stands among quality independent shops. The open market house sits at the heart of the medieval crossroads that lead to excellent walking and cycling routes.
More information about Ilminster can be found at the...
Ilminster Local Information Centre, The Meeting House Arts Centre and Cafe, East Street, Ilminster TA19 0AN, T: 01460 57294
Langport
In bygone days a busy river port, this ancient market town is noted for its distinctive houses on Bow Street and the 'hanging chapel' in the old town wall. The Battle of Langport in 1645 was one of the last battles of the first civil war.
More information about Langport can be found at the...
Langport Local Information Centre, Bow Street, Langport TA10 9PR, T: 01458 253527
Martock
One of the largest parishes in Somerset, Martock also has one of the oldest domestic dwellings - the Treasurer's House (NT). Other notable buildings are the parish church of All Saints, the old grammar school founded in 1661 and perhaps the prettiest Nat West bank in England.
More information about Martock can be found at the...
Martock Community Information Office, The Market House, Church Street, Martock TA12 6JL
Somerton
An attractive town of architectural and historical interest, with old stone buildings, handsome inns and almshouses. An octagonal, roofed market cross, locally known as The Butter Cross, sits in the wide 17th century square.
More information about Somerton can be found at the...
Somerton Local Information Centre, The Library, Cox's Yard, off West Street, Somerton TA11 7PR
Wincanton
Elegant Georgian houses and coaching inns record Wincanton's importance as a staging post on the main London to Plymouth road. In the 1600s the town provided stabling for nearly 300 horses.
More information about Wincanton can be found at wincantonmuseum.org.uk
Wincanton Local Information Centre, Town Hall, Market Place, Wincanton BA9 9LD T: 01963 31693
Yeovil
A busy retail and commercial centre with a weekly market and theatres, bowling complex, multiscreen cinema, nightclubs and sport venues.
The imposing parish Church of St John the Baptist dates from the 1300s and the expansive churchyard is a popular meeting place, known affectionately by locals as "the beach".
Visiting Yeovil for the first time? Click here for a list of car parks in Yeovil.
Yeovil Tourist Information Centre, Petters House, Petters Way, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 1SH
T: 01935 462781
E: yeovilTIC@southsomerset.gov.uk
Yeovil Shopmobility
This registered charity provides powered and manual equipment for both short and long-term town hire. The service is for anyone with limited mobility. You do not have to be registered as a disabled person to use the scheme.
Basement Car Park, Quedam Shopping Centre, Yeovil BA20 1EY
T: 01935 420889 W: yeovilshopmobility.co.uk
Local Markets - for information on Country Markets (which used to be know as WI Markets) visit www.country-markets.co.uk
View here a copy of our Market Town Leaflet.
Iconic buildings, ancient sites, traditions and folklore - the past is all around in South Somerset, waiting to be explored...
Visit Ham Hill Country Park to see the remnants of an Iron Age hill fort on a vast scale - archaelogists from Cambridge and Cardiff Universities are investigating the site and conduct tours of the excavations during July and August www.hamhillfort.info
Trace your family history on church monuments and village war memorials. Many of the market towns have their own museum and the Museum of Somerset has a fully-equipped learning centre for searching the records.
For a wealth of information about the history and heritage of South Somerset; its industeries and families visit www.southsomersetheritage.org.uk
Somerset Routes was created by the Somerset Heritage and Libraries Service and the Museums of Somerset Group to help visitors to Somerset unearth the wealth of heritage sites and collections to see www.somersetroutes.co.uk
South Somerset has two great museums within a few minutes drive of each other: The Fleet Air Arm Museum has the largest naval aviation collection in Europe and a thrilling international air show in July. Haynes Motor Museum shows off fast and fantastic road vehicles with 350 amazing cars and bikes on display.
Forget sleepy Somerset - there's a lively music scene in local pubs and clubs.
For drama and dance, comedy and concerts, opera and ballet, Yeovil's Octagon Theatre has a year-round programme of professional performance. There are distinguished amateur theatre companies at The Swan Theatre in Yeovil and The Warehouse in Ilminster and live performances at arts centres in Ilminster and South Petherton.
The peace and beauty of South Somerset inspires a lively community of painters, potters, wood-turners and willow workers. Somerset Art Weeks in September give you the chance to visit artists in their studios.
Somerset is rich in heritage craft-workers thatching, hedge-laying, hurdle-making and weaving with locally-grown willow. Some of these talented people offer classes and workshops to pass on their skills.
Somerset has cottage gardens, formal gardens and landscaped estates
The National Trust has four beautiful houses and gardens within easy driving distance of each other and also linked by a cycle route. There are some lovely private gardens opened through the National Garden Scheme and many plant nurseries - the first known use of the word nursery in connection with plants, occurred in Somerset in 1369!
Somerset cider is one of the most famous flavours of England's west country and Cheddar cheese is pretty famous too - but there's more. Try out your taste for smoked eel, caught in Somerset rivers and preserved the traditional way at local smokeries. Ice-cream and beer are also produced locally - and beef and lamb, pork and buffalo - yes, buffalo!
Our quality restaurants, cafes and pubs feature locally produced food on their menus and many food businesses have been recognised with awards.
There's a top class range of sports activities and venues on offer in South Somerset.
Join the football crowd at a Glovers match or cheer on your favourite horse at Wincanton Races. There's a choice of 9 and 18-hole golf-courses, fishing in lakes and rivers, racquet sports, fitness centres and swimming pools. If you are a keen cyclist, you can explore the South Somerset countryside with the 80 mile cycle route. The route can be done as an exhilerating day ride or broken down into shorter sections - a great way to get fit and see the countryside.
Accommodation Type
All Guest Accommodation Self Catering Touring Parks and Campsites
Area
All Bruton and Castle Cary area Chard and Crewkerne area Ilminster area Langport, Martock and Somerton area Yeovil area Yeovil Town Wincanton area