Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. The county town is Taunton, situated at 51°00′49″N, 3°06′23″W. Somerset borders the Ceremonial counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north east, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south east and Devon to the southwest. The county is bounded to the north by the coast of the Bristol Channel.
Somerset is a rural county famous for its rolling hills and downland, the large flat Somerset Levels, and the Exmoor National Park which straddles the border with Devon. The town of Glastonbury is famous in mythology. The north of the county is administratively independent and includes the city of Bath, a World Heritage Site famous for its Roman history and Georgian architecture. The popular sea-side resort Weston-super-Mare lies on the Bristol Channel coast.
Tourism is a major industry in the county, estimated in 2001 to support around 23,000 people. Attractions include its coastal towns, part of the Exmoor National Park, the West Somerset Railway (a heritage railway), and the museum of the Fleet Air Arm at RNAS Yeovilton. The town of Glastonbury is famous for its mythical associations, and open-air rock festival (actually in Pilton), while the Cheddar Gorge is famous for caves open to visitors, as well as its locally produced cheese.
Travel
By Train: There are mainline stations at Taunton, Yeovil Junction and Castle Cary (also at Bristol, Bath and Weston) - all are served by regular daily services from all over the country. If you wish to bring a bicycle, please book in advance to avoid disappointment. Train information is available from National Rail Enquiries - Tel: 08457 484950 or The Trainline
By Coach and Bus: There are regular daily services to the main towns in Somerset provided by National Express. There are also local regular bus services.
Coach, Bus and Train timetable information is also available from Traveline Tel: 0870 608 2 608 - (national rate).
Somerset bus timetables and a county map, showing all bus routes in Somerset are available from most Tourist Information Centres and libraries in the county.
By Car: If you are driving to Somerset and entering from the north, the M5 Motorway runs through Somerset from Junction 20 (Clevedon) to Junction 26 (Wellington). The A38 from Bristol or the A39 from Bath also travel through much of the county. If entering from the south, the A30 / A303 from Dorset or Devon is a major route. Telephone AA Road Watch for daily reports of traffic conditions throughout the West Country - 0336 401111
By Air: The nearest regional airports serving the county are Bristol and Exeter, there is also a coach service from Heathrow to Taunton, and regular train services from both London airports (Gatwick and Heathrow).
Cities, Towns & Villages
Bath
Bishops Hull
Bishops Lydeard
Bridgwater
Brympton
Burnham-on-Sea Click Here for Live Web Cam
Chard
Cheddar
Comeytrowe
Crewkerne
Frome
Glastonbury
Ilminster
Martock
Meare
Minehead
North Petherton
Shepton Mallet
Somerton
South Petherton
Street
Taunton
Watchet
Wellington
Wells
Weston-super-Mare
Wincanton
Yeovil
Somerset County Cricket Club
www.somersetcountycc.co.uk
Somerset Illuminated Carnivals Grand fireworks displays and street entertainment adds to the sense of fiesta and fun .
The floats can be huge, over 50 feet long and covered in hundreds of lightbulbs. These spectacular events can be hard to describe and you really do need to see them to believe them!
More carnival information at:
www.carnivalchronicle.co.uk
and at www.somersetcarnivals.co.uk
For further information and general advice contact the
Somerset Visitor Centre,
Sedgemoor Services,
M5 Motorway (south),
Axbridge,
Somerset
E-mail: somersetvisitorcentre@somerset.gov.uk
Tel: 01934 750833 |
