England Guide
Bristol, Bath and Somerset
The undulating green swards of Somerset encapsulate rural England at its best. The landscape is always varied, with tidy cricket greens and well-kept country pubs contrasting with wilder, more dramatic landscapes. A world away from this bucolic charm, the main city hereabouts is Bristol, one of the most dynamic and cosmopolitan centres outside London. The city's dense traffic and some hideous postwar architecture are more than compensated for by the surviving traces of its long maritime history, not to mention a great range of pubs, clubs and restaurants.
Just a few miles from Bristol, the graceful, Georgian, honey-toned terraces of Bath combine with the city's beautifully preserved Roman baths and a mellow café culture to make an unmissable stop on any itinerary. Within easy reach to the south lie the exquisite cathedral city of Wells and the ancient town of Glastonbury, a site steeped in Christian lore, Arthurian legend and New Age mysticism. The nearby Mendip Hills are pocked by cave systems, as at Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge, while to the west, Coleridge's home village of Nether Stowey makes a useful base for exploring the Quantock Hills.
Highlights
1 Clifton Suspension Bridge Brunel's iconic construction rears above the impressive Aron Gorge.
2 Building of Bath Museum Get to grips with how Bath came to assume its present appearance.
3 Wells Cathedral A gem of medieval masonry, not least for its richly ornamented west front.
4 Cheddar Gorge Impressive rockscape, with opportunities for wild walks in the Mendips.
5 Glastonbury Abbey Evocative and picturesque ruins are a fitting setting for a complexity of Christian legends and Arthurian myths.
6 Quantock Hills Follow in the footsteps of Coleridge and Wordsworth on the wooded slopes of this West Somerset range.
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