Somerset

Somerset is a predominantly rural county in the West Country in England. The county is home to the Glastonbury Festival, one of the UK's major music festivals.

Cities

Cities

• 1 Bath — Roman and Georgian spa town with Roman baths and Georgian architecture; the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 2 Wells — England's smallest city.
• 3 Bristol (a separate county that is not covered in this article)

Towns

• 4 Taunton – the county town
• 5 Bridgwater
• 6 Chard
• 7 Clevedon – seaside resort with pier
• 8 Glastonbury — a town known for its Tor and New Age associations, plus its nearby music festival
• 9 Ilminster
• 10 Langport – small town in the heart of the Levels
• 11 Minehead
• 12 Portishead
• 13 Shepton Mallet
• 14 Watchet
• 15 Weston-super-Mare – traditional seaside resort
• 16 Wincanton
• 17 Yeovil

Villages

• 18 Cheddar
• 19 Long Ashton
• 20 Priddy
• 21 Porlock
• The Exmoor villages of Dunster, Oare, Porlock, Porlock Weir, Selworthy and Winsford are found in the Exmoor article.

Other destinations

• 1 Mendip Hills — a range of limestone hills in northern Somerset designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• 2 Exmoor National Park — one of the UK's first national parks, it is composed mostly of open heath and moorland

Understand

Because of several local government reorganisations, the exact definition of the county of Somerset depends on whether you are talking about the modern administrative or the traditional county. This article specifically covers the current administrative county of Somerset, plus the unitary districts of "North Somerset" and "Bath and North East Somerset", which constitute much of the traditional county of Somerset. It does not cover the city of Bristol, which by tradition and in modern times is a county in its own right.

A large part of the Exmoor National Park is in Somerset, although Devon has the western part. The Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is also shared with Devon but two fall entirely within Somerset. These are the Quantock Hills and the Mendip Hills.

Talk

The variety of English you encounter in Somerset depends on which part of Somerset you are visiting. For example, if you visit Bath, you are more likely to encounter a form of Received Pronunciation (RP), whereas if you visit Yeovil, the chances are that you will encounter West Country English (WCE), the variety of English spoken primarily in Somerset, Bristol, Devon and Cornwall, as well as Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. The difference between RP and WCE is demonstrated by the word Bath itself. RP speakers will pronounce Bath with a long /ɑː/ sound (the same way they pronounce the 'a' and 'r' in car), while WCE speakers will pronounce Bath with a long /æː/ sound (the same way they pronounce the 'a' in ham).

Another significant difference is demonstrated by the 'r' in the word cider. RP speakers will not pronounce the /r/ in this word (they will say SIGH-da), while WCE speakers will always pronounce /r/ after a vowel (they will say SIGH-der or even SOY-der).

In Somerset, as in other counties of England, you will also encounter non-native English speakers alongside the speakers of the local and standard varieties, particularly in the larger towns and cities of Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater. However relative to other parts of England, Somerset has very few non-native speakers (around 2% countywide, around 10% in central Yeovil).

Get in

The region's main airport is Bristol Airport.

There are major railway stations at Bristol (Bristol Temple Meads) and Taunton. Both are served by trains from London (Paddington), Cardiff, Manchester, the North of England, Devon and Cornwall, from the Great Western Railway and CrossCountry operators. Bristol is also served by trains from Portsmouth, Weymouth, Hampshire and Dorset.

There is also a slower South Western Railway line between London Waterloo and Exeter which serves the south of county with stations at Yeovil and Crewkerne.

By car, the major routes are the M5 serving the north of county (Bridgwater, Taunton) and the A303 in the south (Yeovil, Ilminster).

Get around

The best way to get around Somerset is probably by car - while certain major towns and cities are served by rail, many popular tourist destinations, such as Clevedon, have no station, or, like Minehead, are served only by heritage railways with no connection to mainline stations.

See West Somerset Railway, for details on the main heritage railway in the area. There is also the minor East Somerset Railway near Shepton Mallet

See

Stanton Drew stone circle

• Cheddar Gorge near Cheddar is a dramatic limestone gorge and show caves, home to paleolithic archaeology, and the famous cheese.
• Clevedon Pier in Clevedon is a classic Victorian pleasure pier
• The Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton, near Yeovil, hosts Europe's largest naval aviation collection.
• Glastonbury Tor is a prominent hill overlooking Glastonbury with many associations with myth and legend.
• The Haynes International Motor Museum at Sparkford, 9 miles west of Wincanton, displays over 400 classic cars and motorbikes.
• 1 Stanton Drew stone circles, BS39 4EW. the larger of which is the 2nd biggest in Britain  
• Wookey Hole caves near Wells are a series of limestone caverns that are open as a show cave and tourist attraction.
• At the shore of the Bristol channel, the Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station is worth a visit to those with an interest in science and technology. Visitors must register at the EDF Visitor Centre in Bridgwater. An identity check is part of the pre-visit registration process, so do not forget to bring your passport.

Hestercombe House and gardens

Historic houses:

• Barrington Court near Ilminster is a Tudor manor house from the 1500s managed by the National Trust.
• Dunster Castle and watermill near Minehead is a National Trust country house and former castle overlooking an attractive village in Exmoor National Park.
• Hestercombe House and Gardens near Taunton is one of the finest examples of the world-renowned partnership between garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.
• Montacute House and Gardens near Yeovil is an Elizabethan mansion and garden managed by the National Trust.
• Tyntesfield at Wraxhall, near Long Ashton, is a spectacular Victorian Gothic Revival house with gardens and parkland managed by the National Trust.

Do

Truly authentic and cosy country pubs abound throughout this county, as well as rolling rural landscapes. The North Somerset area boasts Cheddar Caves and Gorge, Wookey Hole Caves, Glastonbury Tor and Abbey, as well as the Victorian seaside resort of Weston-Super-Mare.

There are some amazing walks to be done around Somerset and its many undiscovered treasures.

• Birdwatching. Somerset hosts numerous RSPB and WWT nature reserves, and the wetlands of the Levels are a true avian hotspot, with literally millions of starlings coming to roost in one of England's most dramatic natural displays. (updated Dec 2023)
• Caving. As well as the easily tourist-accessible show caves listed under "See", the Mendips is riddled with more challenging and complex caves available to experienced cavers. Paid guided expeditions are available for the brave but inexperienced. (updated Dec 2023)
• Glastonbury Festival. One of the largest and most famous festivals of performing arts in the world. (updated Dec 2023)
• Priddy Folk Festival, Priddy (North of Wells). Offers three days of folk music on the Mendip plateau. (updated Dec 2023)
• Watch cricket. Somerset County Cricket Club play at County Ground in Taunton. (updated Dec 2023)
• The Strawberry Line. A 9-mile walking and cycling route along a disused railway trackbed. It heads north from Cheddar to Axbridge, Sandford and Yatton. (updated Dec 2023)

Eat

• Strawberries & cream. In the summer, local strawberries with Somerset clotted cream. (updated Dec 2023)
• Genuine Farmhouse Cheddar cheese. Don't miss the authentic locally-made Cheddar cheese, which is a world apart from the generic factory cheese often sold under the cheddar name. (updated Dec 2023)
• Somerset casserole. Meat or a meaty fish cooked in cider with potatoes, onions and mushrooms. (updated Dec 2023)

Perry's Cider in Dowlish Wake, one of many local producers

Drink

• Cider. There are plenty of opportunities to sample this fine west country drink whilst in Somerset. There are plenty of small farms that will sell you Scrumpy cider, and most pubs also serve proper farmhouse cider, especially out in the countryside. Some of it can be very strong so watch out! A good place to purchase is Sheppy's Cider Farm just outside Taunton. (updated Dec 2023)

Go next

• Bristol is a major city to the north of Somerset.
• The Cotswolds extends north from Somerset into Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire
• Devon lies west of Somerset.
• Dorset lies to the south-east of Somerset.
• Wiltshire is to the north-east and east of Somerset.