LAURA BRIGGS seeks out some (perhaps) lesser known highlights in the county town.
Taunton, County Town of Somerset, home to 40 Commando, Somerset Cricket Club and the Somerset County Museum, is a thriving town with plenty to offer. We’ve picked our 20 hidden gems to visit there and in surrounding areas so you can get the very best out of your visit.
BATH PLACE
Once the main entrance to Taunton from Exeter in the middle ages, the quaint and narrow Bath Place offers a number of independent shops and cafés for the visitor to enjoy. The street features on Taunton’s heritage trail. Brendan Books, Bath Place Music, Ginger Fig and Alpha Frog Vintage all call this pretty street home.
TAUNTON AND BRIDGWATER CANAL
Connecting Bridgwater and Taunton, the canal is mainly rural and a welcome idyll for nature lovers. At Maunsel Lock, a scale model of the sun makes up part of the Somerset Space Walk where planets are set along the canal for six miles each way to demonstrate the enormity of space. Maunsel Lock also boasts the canal centre which offers boat trips and refreshment. Narrow-boats, wildlife and a towpath that runs the length of the canal make this a perfect getaway.
HESTERCOMBE HOUSE & GARDENS
Boasting three centuries of world class garden design, and one of the most highly regarded collaborations between garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and architect Edwin Lutyens, Hestercombe is a gem which offers a full day out for any visitor. A contemporary art gallery, formal and landscape gardens, the Stables Café and Column Room Restaurant mean there is literally something for everyone in this piece of paradise nestled in the shadow of the Blackdown Hills.
TRULL WATERFALL, AMBERD LANE, TRULL
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Somerset Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Somerset Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Up on the Down
Try this easy-to-follow Exmoor walk with SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE
Shop until you drop
It’s Somerset’s county town, it’s the place to go for the big shops, but Taunton is also home to a thriving independent scene, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY
Creatures of the night
Have you ever had something swoop past your ear, almost unseen? You may have had a brief encounter with a bat, says BERNARD BALE
Bowled over
Now that we can return to skittle and bowling alleys - albeit with new rules BERNARD BALE reveals that the sport of bowling has many Somerset links
Trackway through time
In the Somerset Levels SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE discovers a place where our Neolithic heritage rubs shoulders with the present day
SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR
The splendour of Exmoor National Park may appear timeless and untroubled, but a new book reveals the long and often bitter struggle conservationists faced to save the landscape from the twin threats of afforestation and the plough
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Charity starts at home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
Blooming brilliant
Will and Lauren Holley purchased a four-acre field in Somerset, converted it into a nursery, opened during lockdown and now their perennial plants are flying off the shelves. JULIE HARDING meets the go-getting couple
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role
