Brendon Hills

Hotels are thin on the ground directly on the Brendon Hills themselves, a reflection of just how sparsely populated this ridge of Exmoor-fringe moorland remains. What accommodation does exist tends to be small and characterful: country inns such as Ralegh's Cross Inn sitting high on the moor, farmhouse bed and breakfasts converted from working farms, and a handful of guesthouses in villages like Roadwater and Wiveliscombe on the lower slopes. These are typically family-run, with an emphasis on hearty breakfasts and local knowledge of the walking routes on the doorstep, rather than resort-style facilities.

For a wider choice of hotels, the coastal town of Watchet at the foot of the hills has a small selection of guesthouses and B&Bs within walking distance of its working harbour, while Wiveliscombe to the south offers similar options along with easier access to Taunton and the M5. Those wanting more conventional hotel facilities, including larger chain hotels, will generally need to base themselves in Taunton or Minehead and drive up into the hills for the day, which is a perfectly workable approach given the compact size of the area and the quality of the roads once you leave the moor itself. Whichever base is chosen, it is worth booking ahead in summer and during the West Somerset Railway's peak season, as the number of beds across this quiet corner of Somerset is genuinely limited.

Walking is the main draw here, but the mix of industrial heritage, water and open moor gives visitors plenty of reasons to linger.

• West Somerset Mineral Line — Follow sections of the old mineral railway trackbed and climb the dramatic gravity incline near Comberow, once used to lower wagons of iron ore over 700 feet down to the valley below; the West Somerset Mineral Line Association runs occasional guided walks along the route.
• Lype Hill — At 424 metres, this is the highest point in the Brendon Hills, with sweeping views across the Somerset countryside and out towards the Bristol Channel on a clear day.
• Wimbleball Lake — A reservoir on the southern fringe of the hills within Exmoor National Park, with a watersports centre offering sailing, canoeing and windsurfing tuition, plus trout fishing and a lakeside cafe.
• Clatworthy Reservoir — A quieter, smaller reservoir near Wiveliscombe popular with anglers, with picnic spots and short waterside walks.
• Roadwater and the Coleridge Way — This section of the long-distance Coleridge Way threads through the hills from the village of Roadwater, taking in wooded valleys and open moorland on its way towards Exmoor.
• Watchet — The old harbour town at the foot of the hills, historically the shipping point for Brendon Hills iron ore, now known for its working harbour, Wavelength gallery quarter and the Coleridge connection via the Ancient Mariner statue.
• Ralegh's Cross — A high, windswept crossroads on the moor that has long served as a landmark and staging point for walks in every direction across the hills.

Options are limited across the Brendon Hills themselves, in keeping with the area's sparse population, but what is there tends to be welcoming after a day on the moor. Ralegh's Cross Inn, high on the moor at the road junction of the same name, is a long-standing stop for walkers and travellers crossing the hills. Down in the valleys, villages such as Roadwater and Washford have village pubs serving simple, honest food, while Watchet and Wiveliscombe, both a short drive from the hills, offer a wider spread of cafes, pubs and restaurants for those wanting more choice.

The Brendon Hills offer some of the wildest, least crowded camping country in Somerset, with heather moorland, old iron-mining trackbeds and steep wooded coombes providing a real sense of remoteness within a fairly small area. As with everywhere else in England, wild camping on open land here is not legal without the express permission of the landowner, so pitching up on the moor itself is not an option; instead, the area is served by a scattering of proper campsites, several of which lean into the same quiet, back-to-nature appeal that draws walkers to the hills in the first place.

Wimbleball Lake, on the southern edge of the hills within Exmoor National Park, has a campsite run by South West Lakes Trust alongside its watersports centre, making it an easy base for combining camping with sailing, canoeing or fishing on the reservoir. Ralegh's Cross Inn, at a high crossroads on the moor itself, offers an adults-only campsite attached to the pub, useful for walkers wanting to start the day already up on the tops. Further sites can be found around Watchet and Wiveliscombe at the foot of the hills, generally offering easier access, better shelter from the weather, and proximity to shops and pubs for those who prefer not to be entirely self-sufficient.

Glamping has a foothold too, with a number of farms across the wider area converting fields or barns into shepherd's huts, safari tents and static units, giving a comfortable middle ground between a hotel stay and a tent for those keen to experience the moor without the full camping kit. Spring through early autumn is the most reliable season to camp here, when the ground is drier and the days long enough to make the most of the hills' big skies; the exposed high ground can be genuinely cold and wet outside these months, so it is worth choosing a sheltered, lower-lying site if visiting off season.