Bishops Lydeard

Bishops Lydeard works well as a base for a short countryside break rather than a full week away, which suits the village's handful of bed and breakfasts and pub rooms as well as the wider choice of self-catering cottages and farmhouses scattered through the surrounding Quantock villages. A stay here puts you within walking distance of the West Somerset Railway terminus, so a steam train ride to Minehead or one of the coastal stations can be the centrepiece of a stay without ever needing to move the car. The village's two pubs, the Lethbridge Arms and the Bird in Hand, both offer the kind of straightforward, well-kept accommodation that suits walkers heading up into the Quantocks, while B&Bs in the surrounding lanes tend to be run from working farms or converted stone barns, giving a genuinely rural welcome.

For anyone wanting more choice, Taunton is close enough to use as a base while still treating Bishops Lydeard as a day-trip destination, with a fuller range of hotels, chain accommodation and serviced apartments to suit business trips or larger groups. Families are generally well catered for locally, since the railway, the brewery taproom and gentle Quantock walks all suit a mix of ages, and several of the farm stays in the area are set up specifically with children in mind, offering space to roam alongside the more structured attractions. Whichever option you choose, the village's position on the A358 means Taunton, the M5 and the wider Somerset coast are all within easy reach, making it a practical as well as a scenic place to stay.

Bishops Lydeard punches well above its weight for things to see and do, largely thanks to its station and its position on the doorstep of the Quantocks.

• West Somerset Railway — Bishops Lydeard station is the southern terminus of the West Somerset Railway, England's longest heritage line, running steam and diesel services for 20 miles to Minehead through Crowcombe, Williton and Dunster. The station has a large free car park, a shop, the Whistle Stop Café and a small museum of railway memorabilia housed in an old GWR sleeping carriage.
• Quantock Hills AONB — the hills rise immediately north of the village, offering walking and cycling routes from gentle valley strolls to open ridge-top hikes with views to Exmoor, the Bristol Channel and the Welsh coast on a clear day.
• Cothelstone Hill — a short drive or a good walk from the village, this beech-crowned summit is one of the most popular viewpoints in the Quantocks, with an Iron Age hillfort and panoramic views over the Vale of Taunton Deane.
• Church of St Mary — the village's 14th-century parish church, notable for its Perpendicular tower, medieval carved bench ends and stained glass.
• Quantock Brewery taproom — a working brewery based in the village, with an onsite taproom serving its own beers alongside street food.
• Taunton — the county town of Somerset is only a few miles away, with its castle museum, indoor market and a fuller range of shops, restaurants and cinemas than the village itself.
• Combe Florey and the wider Vale — a pretty neighbouring village associated with the poet Sydney Smith and, more recently, the Waugh family, reachable on quiet lanes and a good target for a longer walk or cycle ride.

The village has two long-standing pubs, the Lethbridge Arms and the Bird in Hand, both serving as the natural social hub alongside a scattering of tea rooms and a Chinese takeaway. The Whistle Stop Café at the railway station is a popular stop for anyone catching or meeting a train, while Quantock Brewery's onsite taproom offers its own beers with street food in an informal setting. For a wider choice of restaurants, cafés and independent food shops, Taunton's town centre and indoor market are only a few minutes away by car.

Camping around Bishops Lydeard means pitching in the shadow of the Quantock Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty whose combes and heather-topped ridges are ideal for anyone wanting a walking-focused break. The village has its own small, family-run touring and camping site on Greenway Road, set on a couple of acres of grass bordered by woodland, an easy walk from both the station and the village pubs; it is a genuinely low-key spot where you may share the field with the owners' own ducks, geese and chickens. Further into the hills, farms around Broomfield and Cothelstone offer everything from simple grass pitches to bunkhouses and glamping lodges, giving campers a choice between a basic back-to-nature stay and something a little more comfortable with proper beds and heating laid on.

As with the rest of England, wild camping without the landowner's permission is not legal here, even across the open access land of the Quantock Hills, so it is worth sticking to the area's established sites rather than pitching informally on the moor. The terrain itself rewards a little planning: the hills rise quickly from the vale floor, so even short walks from a campsite can lead onto genuinely wild-feeling ridge tops, while the wooded combes lower down offer more sheltered pitches for anyone camping outside the height of summer. May to September brings the most reliable weather and the fullest running timetable on the neighbouring West Somerset Railway, making it easy to combine a few nights under canvas with a steam train day out, though the Quantocks' relatively low elevation means shoulder-season camping in spring or early autumn is perfectly manageable for anyone with decent kit. Glamping options in the area, from safari tents to timber lodges, are a good compromise for families or first-time campers wanting the setting without the full commitment of a tent, and tend to book up quickly around school holidays given how few sites the immediate area has to offer.