Wedmore guides

Wedmore sits in a quiet corner of Somerset where the Mendip Hills drop down to the Levels, and that means an unusual amount within a short drive of the cottage. Caves, a cathedral city, a hill with a tower on top and some of the best wildlife watching in the country are all on the doorstep. Here are the ones we send guests to first, all within about half an hour of Stone Cottage.

Cheddar Gorge and the show caves

Around 15 minutes. The deepest gorge in the country, a mile of limestone cliffs you can drive, walk or climb. Gough's Cave and Cox's Cave run deep into the rock with lit walkways, and the cliff-top walk gives you the view from above if you have the legs for Jacob's Ladder and its 274 steps. Buy a combined ticket for the caves and the walk, and go early in summer, as the road through the gorge is narrow and the car parks fill. The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company at the bottom still matures cheddar in the caves and will let you taste before you buy.

Cheddar Reservoir

Around 10 minutes. A big open reservoir with a flat 2.3 mile path all the way round, popular with walkers, runners and the sailing club. It is the easiest leg-stretch near the cottage, good with a dog or a buggy, and the light over the water in the evening is worth the drive on its own. No swimming, and keep dogs out of the water, as it is a drinking supply.

Wells

Around 15 minutes. England's smallest city, and it earns the trip. Wells Cathedral is one of the finest in the country, the scissor arches alone are worth going in for, and the Bishop's Palace next door has a moat where the swans have been trained for generations to ring a bell for food. Vicars' Close, behind the cathedral, is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited street in Europe. There is a street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Wookey Hole Caves

Around 15 minutes. A proper show cave with an underground river and the legend of the Witch of Wookey, plus a Victorian paper mill and a run of family attractions from a mirror maze to model dinosaurs. It is more commercial and more child-friendly than the Cheddar caves, so it is the better bet with younger children and a good one to save for a wet day. Book online ahead in the holidays.

Glastonbury Tor and the Abbey

Around 20 minutes. The Tor is the hill you can see for miles, topped by the roofless tower of St Michael's church. The climb is short but steep, and the view across the Levels at the top is the reward. In the town, Glastonbury Abbey is a ruin set in 36 acres of parkland, and the High Street is a parade of crystal shops and cafes unlike anywhere else. The festival, for the record, is at Worthy Farm in Pilton a few miles away, not in the town.

Wilkins Farmhouse Cider

Around 5 to 10 minutes, at Mudgley. The real thing, traditional Somerset scrumpy poured from the barrel by Roger Wilkins, who has made it on the same farm for decades. The farm shop sells cider by the container along with local cheese, and the welcome is warm and completely unpolished. Bring a container if you want to take some home, and taste before you buy.

The Avalon Marshes and Shapwick Heath

Around 20 minutes. A string of wetland nature reserves on the peat moors between Wedmore and Glastonbury, including Shapwick Heath and the RSPB's Ham Wall. Flat boardwalks and hides make for easy walking, and the birdlife is exceptional. The headline event is the winter starling murmurations, when hundreds of thousands of birds wheel over the reeds at dusk between about November and February. The RSPB posts where they are roosting that week.

Ebbor Gorge

Around 20 minutes, near Wookey Hole. A smaller, wilder gorge than Cheddar, a national nature reserve of steep wooded limestone with no cafe, no ticket office and no crowds. The circular walk involves a rocky scramble in places, so wear boots and leave the buggy behind, but it is one of the loveliest short walks in the Mendips and often you will have it to yourself.

A mosaic workshop in the village

In Wedmore. The cottage's owner, Emma Abel, runs mosaic-making workshops locally, which make a lovely rainy-afternoon activity or a something-different for a group. Places need booking in advance, so arrange it before you travel rather than on the day.

Practical notes

• Go early for Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole in the holidays, as the car parks fill
• The Levels can flood in winter, so check before heading to the marshes
• Sainsbury's in Cheddar, around 10 minutes, is the nearest big shop

Fancy a walk instead of a drive? See walks from the door. Hungry afterwards? Here is where to eat and drink.

Stay in Wedmore and you have the best of two worlds. The caves, the cathedral city and the Levels are all within half an hour, and if you are happy to drive a bit further you can reach two cities, a stretch of coast and a couple of the best days out in the south west inside an hour. Here is where to point the car for a full day.

Bath

Around an hour. One of the most beautiful cities in the country and an easy day from the cottage. The Roman Baths are the obvious draw, fed by the only hot spring in Britain, and worth pre-booking a timed ticket. The Royal Crescent and the Circus are the architecture everyone comes to see, and Thermae Bath Spa lets you actually bathe in the spring water, rooftop pool and all. Use the park and ride rather than driving into the centre.

Bristol

Around 45 minutes to an hour. A big, characterful city with plenty for a day. The Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Georgian streets of Clifton are the postcard, Brunel's SS Great Britain in the floating harbour is one of the best museum ships anywhere, and the harbourside is lined with places to eat. Families tend to make for Wild Place Project on the northern edge of the city.

Weston-super-Mare

Around 27 minutes. The nearest proper seaside, a long flat sandy beach with the Grand Pier running out over it, full of arcades and rides and fish and chips. Cheerful and traditional, exactly what you want for a bucket-and-spade afternoon. The tide goes out a long way, so check the times if the children want to swim rather than cross the mud.

Burnham-on-Sea

Around 18 minutes. Quieter and closer than Weston, with a wide sandy beach and the curiosity of two lighthouses, including the famous low lighthouse that stands on wooden legs out on the sand. Good for a gentle afternoon and an ice cream. As at Weston, the tide retreats a long way and the mudflats can be dangerous, so stick to the marked areas.

Clarks Village, Street

Around 20 to 25 minutes. The original factory outlet village, on the site of the old Clarks shoe works, with around 90 shops, plenty to eat and a fair amount under cover. It is the obvious rainy-day fallback as well as a shopping trip, and the Strode Theatre on the same site shows films and live events. Parking is free.

The Newt in Somerset

Around 40 to 45 minutes, near Bruton. A country estate turned into something hard to describe: formal gardens, ancient woodland, a cyder cellar, a Roman villa museum and some of the best food for miles. Entry is by day ticket or membership and is not cheap, but it is beautifully done and a full day for garden lovers. Book ahead, as numbers are capped.

Haynes Motor Museum

Around 35 to 40 minutes, at Sparkford. The largest collection of cars in the country, several hundred vehicles from veteran machines to supercars, all indoors. A brilliant wet-weather day and not only for the car-obsessed, with a Red Room of gleaming sports cars that stops most people in their tracks.

Longleat

Around 50 minutes, near Warminster. One of the biggest family days out in the region, a safari park where you drive through enclosures of lions, giraffes and the famous monkeys, wrapped around a grand Elizabethan house and a maze. A long but rewarding day, and priced accordingly, so buy tickets online in advance and arrive for opening.

Brean Down

Around 30 minutes. A dramatic limestone headland that juts out into the Bristol Channel, owned by the National Trust and topped by a Victorian fort. The walk out to the end is steep at the start but level along the top, with huge views up and down the coast. Below it, Brean sands run for miles.

Closer to home, there is plenty within 30 minutes, and good walking from the door.

Wedmore is a walker's base of the best kind, because it sits right where flat and hilly meet. South and west are the Levels, dead level and easy, criss-crossed with droves and rivers. North and east the Mendip Hills rise up with gorges, ridges and proper views. Here are seven walks within easy reach of the cottage, with a note on distance, terrain and whether they suit a dog or a buggy. This is sheep country, so keep dogs on a lead around livestock.

Around the Isle of Wedmore

From the door. Easy, muddy after rain. The "Isle" is the low ridge the village sits on, and a web of lanes and field paths runs out of Wedmore in every direction, so you can make a loop of an hour or three without getting in the car. Quiet single-track lanes, stiles and open fields with views over the moors. Good for dogs, less so for a buggy once you leave the lanes.

Cheddar Reservoir circuit

Around 10 minutes' drive. 2.3 miles, flat, surfaced. The easiest walk near the cottage by a distance, and buggy and dog friendly. Popular with runners, lovely in the evening light. No swimming and keep dogs out of the water, as it is a drinking supply.

Cheddar Gorge cliff-top circular

Around 15 minutes' drive. About 3 miles, steep, rough ground. The classic Mendip walk, a loop along both rims of the gorge with staggering views straight down the cliffs. You can link it with Jacob's Ladder and the Pavey's Lookout tower. There are sheer unfenced drops, so it is one for sure-footed walkers and dogs on leads, and not for buggies.

Crook Peak and Wavering Down

Around 15 minutes' drive. 3 to 4 miles, exposed ridge. A fine open ridge walk at the western end of the Mendips, National Trust land with huge views over the Levels to the sea and, on a clear day, Wales. Pick your weather, as it is exposed, and there is grazing stock, so dogs on leads. Not a buggy walk.

Ebbor Gorge

Around 20 minutes' drive. 1.5 to 2 miles, wooded scramble. A short, wild walk through a steep wooded limestone gorge, a national nature reserve. The full circuit involves a rocky scramble, so wear proper footwear and leave the buggy behind, but it is beautiful, shady on a hot day and usually quiet. Dogs fine on a lead.

Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath

Around 20 minutes' drive. Flat boardwalks, buggy and wheelchair friendly on the main paths. The easiest proper wildlife walk in the area, through the wetland reserves of the Avalon Marshes. Dogs on leads to protect the ground-nesting birds. Come at dusk between late autumn and late winter for the starling murmurations, which are extraordinary.

Glastonbury Tor

Around 20 minutes' drive. Short but steep. Not a long walk but a memorable one, a climb up a grassy hill topped by the roofless tower of St Michael's church, with a view across the Levels from the top. The paved route up from Well House Lane takes 15 to 20 minutes. Exposed and often windy at the top, and not step-free or a buggy route. Dogs on leads.

Before you go

• The Levels flood in winter and paths can be under water, while the Mendip tops catch the weather, so check conditions and wear the right boots
• An Ordnance Survey map or app is worth having once you leave the surfaced paths
• This is working farmland, so keep dogs on a lead around sheep, including in the cottage garden

Earned your lunch? See where to eat and drink. If the weather turns, here is what to do when it rains.

For a village, Wedmore eats well. There are three pubs within walking distance of the cottage, a deli, a shop that bakes its own bread and one of the last traditional cider farms in the country just down the lane. Add a short drive into Wells or out onto the Levels and you could eat somewhere different every night.

The Swan, Wedmore

On Cheddar Road, a few minutes from the cottage. The smart one, a pub-with-rooms doing modern British food, a good wine list and its own sourdough bakery turning out bread and pastries each morning. It works for a relaxed pint and for a proper dinner, and it is the one to book ahead for at weekends.

The George Inn, Wedmore

On Church Street in the middle of the village. A 16th century coaching inn with the beams, fires and flagstones you would hope for, serving pub food and local ales. The characterful, historic one of the three, good for a long Sunday lunch. Walkable from the cottage, so nobody has to drive.

The New Inn, Wedmore

On Combe Batch Rise. The traditional village local, less about the menu and more about a friendly pint among regulars. If you want to feel like you are in the village rather than visiting it, this is the one. Hours can be shorter midweek and out of season.

Pumpkin Delicatessen and Cafe

In the village centre. A deli and cafe that is the daytime hub, good coffee, breakfast and lunch, and shelves of local cheese, charcuterie and store-cupboard bits to take back to the cottage. The easy answer for a cafe breakfast or a sandwich before a walk.

The village store and bakery

At 2 Church Street. More useful than it sounds, a village shop that opens early and bakes its own bread. It covers the basics, the papers and the forgotten holiday essentials, so you do not have to drive to a supermarket for a pint of milk. For a bigger shop, Sainsbury's in Cheddar is around 10 minutes.

Wilkins Farmhouse Cider, Mudgley

Minutes from the cottage. Not a restaurant, but essential all the same. Roger Wilkins makes traditional Somerset cider the old way and sells it straight from the barrel, alongside local cheddar in the farm shop. Rough, honest and completely of this place. Bring a container, and do not expect anything polished. That is the point.

The Sheppey Inn, Godney

Around 15 minutes, out on the Levels. A quirky, much-loved pub by the River Sheppey with good food, an interesting drinks list, art on the walls and live music some nights. The setting, low on the moors with big skies, is half the appeal, and it is a lovely spot on a long summer evening. Book at weekends.

Eating in Wells

Around 15 minutes, for more choice. Wells has a good spread, from smart dining at the likes of Goodfellows to proper pub food and local ales at The Fountain Inn behind the cathedral, plus independent cafes around the market place. If you fancy a night with more options than the village can offer, head here, and the cathedral lit up in the evening is a bonus.

A stop in Axbridge

Around 10 minutes, on the way to Cheddar. A handsome little town built around a medieval square, with the striking timber-framed King John's Hunting Lodge on the corner and a couple of pubs and cafes around it, including The Lamb Inn. A good half-hour stop for a coffee or a pint with more character than a roadside cafe.

A few practical notes

• Hours move around with the seasons out here, and the smaller places can change their days, so a quick call before you set out saves a wasted trip
• Sunday lunch and weekend tables book up, especially in summer
• The three village pubs are all walkable from the cottage, so you can leave the car

Work up an appetite first with a walk from the door, or make a day of it with the best days out within 30 minutes.

This is the south west, so some of your stay may well be wet, and the good news is that Wedmore is well placed for it. Within a short drive you have two sets of show caves, a cathedral, one of the best motor museums in the country, outlet shopping and a couple of pools and cinemas. Here is where to head when the sky comes in.

Wookey Hole Caves

Around 15 minutes. The best all-weather day out for families nearby. The show caves are warm and dry whatever the weather, with an underground river and the legend of the Witch of Wookey, and there is a whole run of indoor attractions bolted on, from a paper mill to a mirror maze. Book online ahead in the holidays.

Cheddar: Gough's Cave and the show caves

Around 15 minutes. The Cheddar caves are a proper rainy-day standby, deep, dramatic and entirely under cover. Save the cliff-top walk for a drier day and just do the caves and the cheese, as the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company matures its cheddar underground and is happy for you to taste.

Wells Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace

Around 15 minutes. One of the finest cathedrals in the country, and a vast dry space to wander on a wet morning, with the famous scissor arches and a medieval astronomical clock. Entry is by donation. Next door, the Bishop's Palace has indoor rooms as well as its moat and gardens, and Wells itself has covered spots, cafes and independent shops for when the rain really sets in.

Haynes Motor Museum

Around 35 to 40 minutes, at Sparkford. Several hundred cars under one roof, from veteran machines to modern supercars, and a brilliant wet-weather day whether or not you care about cars. The Red Room of gleaming sports cars is the showstopper. Cafe and easy parking.

Clarks Village, Street

Around 20 to 25 minutes. The factory outlet village has around 90 shops, plenty to eat and a fair amount under cover, which makes it the obvious shopping fallback on a washout day. The Strode Theatre on the same site shows films and live events, so you can combine a browse with a screening.

A film: Wells Film Centre or Strode Theatre

Around 15 to 25 minutes. For a local cinema trip, the Wells Film Centre shows current releases in the middle of Wells, and the Strode Theatre at Street screens films alongside its live programme. Both are easy, low-key options for a wet afternoon. Check what is on before you set off, as the programmes are small.

A swim: Strode Pool or Hutton Moor

Around 20 to 30 minutes. For burning off energy on a wet day, Strode Pool at Street and the Hutton Moor Leisure Centre at Weston-super-Mare both have indoor pools, with Hutton Moor the bigger, more family-oriented option. Check public swim times online, as they vary with lessons and clubs.

For younger children: Puxton Park

Around 25 minutes, near Hewish. A family attraction with a large indoor play barn alongside its outdoor animals and activities, a useful release valve for younger children on a wet day. It leans firmly towards the under-10s. Check opening days out of season.

A mosaic workshop with Emma Abel

In Wedmore. The cottage's owner runs mosaic-making workshops locally, which make a lovely, hands-on way to spend a wet afternoon. Places need booking in advance, so arrange it before you travel.

A treat: Thermae Bath Spa

Around an hour, in Bath. If the rain has set in and you fancy making a day of it, the only natural thermal spa you can bathe in in Britain is a good excuse. The rooftop pool, open to the sky and warm whatever the weather, is the one everyone remembers. Book ahead and take your swimming things.

Back at the cottage, the wood burner is laid ready for your first evening, which is no bad place to end a wet day. When it clears, here are the best walks from the door.