One of the great joys of Somerset is that, away from the main arterial routes, most roads carry remarkably little traffic. This is particularly true in two areas, the Levels and Exmoor, where driving is still (usually) a pleasure.
Here we suggest three circular tours you can use as a basis for discovering these totally diverse corners of the county, though as with all suggested routes, much of the enjoyment often comes from the detours you may choose to make to likely-looking destinations. These tours could be accomplished in half a day if you drove at a brisk pace, but this is Somerset so take a whole day instead.
The Levels and Wells Cathedral
One of many must-see sights on this route is the Bishop's Palace with superb gardens where swans swim in the moat and ring a bell to be fed!
An Exmoor Tour
On this route take time out to stop in Luxborough at the Royal Oak (01984 640319) the Good Pub Guide's Inn of the Year in 2001.
Down to Doone Country
Wild and romantic. However much artistic licence he may have employed in his portrayal of the place, the Victorian novelist R D Blackmore's romantic novel Lorna Doone certainly put Exmoor on the map.
National Trust Houses and Gardens
Driving around Somerset to see some of the National Trust treasures is a supreme pleasure. There’s the handsome Tudor manor house, Barrington Court, with gardens inspired by Gertrude Jekyll, the cottage where once lived Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who wrote Rime of the Ancient Mariner, magnificent Dunster Castle, the stunning heather moorland, ancient woodland and spectacular cliffs of the Holnicote estate and the Renaissance masterpiece, Montacute House
For full details of these driving tours please contact us for a printed copy of our Guide to Somerset.
To enjoy these driving tours we recommend you buy a large-scale road atlas. |
