• Coleridge Cottage, Nether Stowey.

  Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived at Nether Stowey from January 1797 to October 1799. Among the many visitors to the cottage were the essayists and critics, Charles Lamb and William Hazlitt. In July 1798 William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy visited and decided to rent a mansion called Alfoxden (now a hotel) at Holford 3 miles away. Whilst at Nether Stowey Coleridge wrote some of his most famous works including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the opium-inspired Kubla Khan.

• Dunster Castle and gardens, Near Minehead.

  Dunster Castle is a feudal stronghold rising dramatically above Dunster village and set between the wooded hiils of Exmoor and the sea. The 13th century gateway still survives but the present building was remodelled in 1868. There is a fine oak staircase and plasterwork. The castle is surrounded by a beautiful terraced garden and 28 acre park. Below the castle is a fully restored 17th century working water mill with a tea room.

• Lytes Cary Manor, Somerton.

  This delightful medieval manor house is surrounded by a garden which is an enchanting mixture of formality and simplicity.

• Montacute House,Near Yeovil.

  This magnificant late 16th century house stands in a 25 acre garden. It contain fine 17th and 18th century furniture and Elizabethan and Jacobean paintings from the National Portrait Gallery. There is a licensed restaurant and self-service cafe offering a range of home cooked food and cream teas.

Other Places well worth visiting

• Cleeve Abbey (English Heritage), Near Washford.
• Dunster Medieval Village.
• Glastonbury Abbey
• Muchelney Abbey, Near Langport.
• Selworthy (NT), Near Minehead.
• Wells Cathedral and Bishop's Palace.

Click on small pictures to see enlarged view.