Highbridge

Highbridge itself has only a handful of places to stay, mostly pubs with rooms and small guest houses reflecting its size as a working market town rather than a holiday resort. What it lacks in hotel choice it makes up for in location: sitting right on the Bristol to Exeter railway line and just off the A38 and M5, it is an easy, well-connected base for exploring the Somerset Levels, the Mendip and Quantock Hills, and the Somerset coast without the higher prices or summer crowds of the seaside towns nearby.

Most visitors after a wider choice of hotels, guest houses and B&Bs stay in neighbouring Burnham-on-Sea, a couple of miles away and effectively the town's twin community, which has a proper seafront, a longer holiday tradition and a much larger range of accommodation while still being within easy reach of Highbridge's shops, station and pubs. Further afield, Brean and Weston-super-Mare offer larger hotels, holiday parks and self-catering complexes geared towards families, while villages across the Levels have a scattering of farmhouse B&Bs and converted barns for those wanting a quieter, rural stay. Wherever you base yourself, booking ahead is worthwhile in the peak summer months when the nearby coast is busiest.

Highbridge itself is small, but there is a genuine handful of things worth seeking out in and around the town, from its Victorian clock tower to the wetlands and coastline on its doorstep.

• The Clock Tower and Jubilee Gardens — A modern three-faced clock, topped with the town's coat of arms, stands in Jubilee Gardens close to the site of the original clock erected in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It remains the closest thing Highbridge has to a landmark and a good starting point for a look around the town centre.
• Secret World Wildlife Rescue — Just outside the town at East Huntspill, this well-known Somerset charity has been rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing injured, orphaned and sick British wildlife since 1984, from badger cubs to birds of prey. It is a working animal hospital rather than a conventional visitor attraction, so it opens to the public only on selected open days, but it is a much-loved local institution worth checking the calendar for.
• River Brue and the Somerset Levels — The river that gave the town its name still runs through it, with flat towpaths and drove roads leading out into the surrounding Levels. It is easy, level walking country, good for spotting herons, kingfishers and other wetland birds along the banks and rhynes.
• Apex Park — A local leisure and green space with a lake, walking routes and space to let off steam, popular with families and dog walkers from the town.
• Berrow Beach and Burnham-on-Sea seafront — A short drive or cycle away, this vast stretch of sand and dunes backing onto Berrow Golf Course is one of the best beaches in the area, with Burnham-on-Sea's distinctive low lighthouse on stilts a well-known local landmark a little further along the front.
• Brean Leisure Park — A few miles up the coast towards Brean Down, this popular family attraction has rollercoasters, a water park and amusements, making a good day-trip option if you are staying in the area with children.

The town centre has a practical spread of everyday cafes, takeaways and pubs serving the local community rather than a food destination in its own right. The Highbridge Inn and other town-centre pubs serve classic pub food and a pint at the end of a walk along the Brue, while Bason Bridge Brewing Company, based just outside the town, is a good stop for locally brewed beer. For a wider choice of restaurants, cafes and seafront chip shops, Burnham-on-Sea is a short walk or drive away and has considerably more options.

Highbridge and the surrounding Somerset Levels are flat, quiet country with plenty of appeal for campers, but the same rule applies here as everywhere else in England: wild camping without the landowner's permission is against the law, whether that is on farmland, drained marsh or the grazing pasture that makes up much of this landscape. Anyone wanting to sleep out under the wide Somerset skies needs to book a proper campsite or caravan park, or get explicit permission from whoever owns the land.

The good news is that this part of Somerset is well set up for it. The coast around Burnham-on-Sea, Berrow and Brean, just a few miles from Highbridge, has one of the highest concentrations of caravan parks and campsites in the South West, ranging from large holiday parks with pools and entertainment to smaller, quieter touring and camping fields further inland on the Levels. Being close to the M5 and the Bristol to Exeter railway line, Highbridge itself makes a handy, low-key base if you would rather stay a little away from the busiest seaside sites while still being minutes from the beach at Berrow.

Spring through early autumn is the best window for camping here, with the Somerset Levels at their driest and the coast at its most welcoming; this low-lying ground can get wet underfoot outside the summer months, so a pitch with reasonable drainage is worth checking for. For anyone who would rather skip the tent altogether, glamping options across the wider area, from bell tents to shepherd's huts and static caravans, offer a comfortable way to enjoy the Levels and the coast without the packing list, and are worth booking early for the peak summer weeks.