Edithmead

Hotels are thin on the ground in Edithmead itself, since this is a hamlet of farms and caravan parks rather than a resort town, but its position right by Junction 22 of the M5 makes it a genuinely convenient base for exploring this stretch of the Somerset coast. A short drive brings you into Burnham-on-Sea, where seafront guesthouses and small hotels look out towards the town's famous Low Lighthouse and miles of sandy beach, or further north to Weston-super-Mare, which has a bigger spread of hotels ranging from traditional seafront establishments to modern chain options, along with its Grand Pier and promenade.

Staying in or near Edithmead suits anyone who wants easy motorway access alongside quick trips out to the coast, the Somerset Levels or Brean Down, without paying resort prices. Expect a quieter, more rural welcome than you would find in Burnham-on-Sea or Weston-super-Mare, with the trade-off that you will need a car to reach the beaches, restaurants and attractions that make this part of Somerset worth visiting. For families or groups after self-catering flexibility, the many holiday parks in and around Edithmead and Highbridge often work out as a practical alternative to a conventional hotel stay.

Edithmead itself has little beyond its caravan parks and surrounding farmland, so most days out mean heading the short distance into Highbridge, Burnham-on-Sea and the wider coast. Here is a realistic list of what is genuinely worth doing from a base here.

• Burnham-on-Sea seafront and Low Lighthouse — a Grade II-listed, red-and-white timber lighthouse on stilts dating from 1832, standing on the beach and one of the most photographed landmarks on this stretch of coast.
• Berrow Beach and dunes — miles of sand backed by the Berrow Dunes local nature reserve, good for a proper walk away from the busier central Burnham beach.
• Apex Park — a 42-acre leisure and wildlife park in old flooded clay pits, with fishing lakes, a woodland walk, play area, skate park and outdoor gym, a few minutes from Highbridge.
• Brean Down — a dramatic limestone headland and Site of Special Scientific Interest jutting into the Bristol Channel, with a coastal fort at its tip and sweeping views over Weston Bay.
• Highbridge town and market history — once the hub where farming communities from Edithmead, Mark, Watchfield and Huntspill traded, Highbridge retains a small-town character worth a wander.
• Weston-super-Mare — the Victorian seaside resort a short drive north, with its Grand Pier, Tropicana pool and long sandy beach.
• Somerset Levels wildlife watching — the flat, rhyne-crossed farmland around Edithmead is part of the wider Levels, good for birdwatching and cycling on quiet lanes.

Edithmead's own dining options are modest and centred on its parks: the Windmill Bar & Bistro at Edithmead Leisure and Park Homes serves meals and hosts regular quiz and bingo nights for residents and visiting caravanners. For a proper choice of pubs, cafes and restaurants, Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea are only minutes away by car and offer a much fuller range of places to eat, from traditional seaside chippies to town-centre pubs.

Camping is really what Edithmead is built around: the hamlet is home to established touring caravan and holiday parks, most notably Edithmead Leisure and Park Homes just off Junction 22 of the M5, alongside nearby sites such as Home Farm Holiday Park. These parks offer serviced touring pitches, holiday homes and, in some cases, residential park homes, with on-site facilities like shower blocks, dog-walking areas and bars serving evening meals. As with the rest of England, wild camping is illegal without the landowner's permission, so pitching up on the surrounding farmland or verges is not an option; stick to licensed sites, which are plentiful in this part of Somerset.

The terrain here could not be more different from a rugged National Park: the Somerset Levels around Edithmead are pancake-flat, reclaimed marshland criss-crossed by drainage rhynes, making it easy, low-effort cycling and walking country rather than a place for hill hikes. That flatness, combined with the M5 access, is exactly why touring caravanners favour the area as a stopover or a base for exploring the coast at Burnham-on-Sea, Berrow and Brean, or heading further into Somerset and the Mendip Hills.

Late spring through early autumn is the best window for camping here, when the caravan parks are in full swing, the nearby beaches are at their best and the Levels' drainage ditches are least likely to be waterlogged; the area can feel bleak and exposed in winter storms rolling in off the Bristol Channel. For those who prefer a roof over their heads without a full hotel stay, glamping options and static holiday homes are available at several of the local parks, offering a comfortable middle ground between tent and hotel while keeping the same easy access to the M5 and the coast.