Discover the countryside: Somerset

SOMEWHERE LESS TRAVELLED: Take the slower road through the Blackdown and Brendon Hills

Vernon Hughes, Trustee at CPRE Somerset, thinks too many people simply crawl through Somerset on the M5 on their way to Devon and Cornwall. His alternative? Turn off and explore two of the county’s quieter upland landscapes. 

The Blackdown Hills National Landscape, shared with Devon, and the Brendon Hills within Exmoor National Park both retain a deeply rural character, with small settlements reached through a maze of country lanes. 

LOCAL SECRET: Walk an old railway incline in the Brendon Hills

Near Roadwater in the Brendon Hills, an extraordinary piece of Somerset’s industrial past is hidden among the trees. A former railway incline rises around 1,000 feet through woodland and once served the area’s iron mines. 

Today, you can walk it – discovering a reminder that industry and rural landscape have long been intertwined. 

LOOK OUT FOR Spot Somerset’s historic fingerposts 

Modern road signage was introduced across England in the 1960s, but Somerset was one of only four counties that didn’t remove its old fingerpost signs. 

As a result, the county still has a wonderful collection of these distinctive cast-iron features. Painted white with black lettering, their designs vary according to the local forge that originally made them. 

Many are now showing their age, and CPRE Somerset offers grants to parish councils to help local communities restore them. 

Next time you’re travelling along Somerset’s country lanes, see how many you notice.

SEASONAL SPECTACLE: See Somerset through the seasons

There are lots of reasons to return to Somerset throughout the year. Come in spring for orchards filled with blossom, or late summer when they’re heavy with fruit.

In autumn, look out for traditional cider-making – and return around the new year for wassailing. 

On the Somerset Levels, winter brings spectacular starling murmurations, while in late winter and early spring you might hear the extraordinary booming call of a bittern.

Or choose a clear dark night, head into the countryside and simply look up – Exmoor’s dark skies are among the finest in England.