Sandford

Sandford is not a village of large hotels, but its position beneath the Mendip Hills and close to Cheddar Gorge, Weston-super-Mare and Bristol makes the surrounding area a practical base for a Somerset break. Nearby towns and villages such as Winscombe, Axbridge, Cheddar and Banwell offer a mix of bed and breakfasts, farmhouse guest houses and small independent hotels, many run by local families and set in converted period buildings that reflect the area's rural, cider-making character. Staying just outside Sandford also puts you within easy striking distance of the coast at Weston-super-Mare, the caves and gorge at Cheddar, and the wider Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, while still being a short hop from the M5 for onward travel.

Because Sandford itself is small, most visitors base themselves in one of these neighbouring towns and treat the village as a stop on a wider day out - taking in the Thatchers cider tour, a walk or cycle along the Strawberry Line, and a visit to the railway heritage centre, before heading on to the gorge or the coast. Booking ahead is worthwhile in summer and during the cider harvest season in early autumn, when the area is busiest.

Sandford is not a destination with a long list of attractions, but what is here is genuinely worth the stop, and it sits within easy reach of some of Somerset's best-known landmarks.

• Thatchers Cider at Myrtle Farm - the Thatchers family has been making cider here since 1904, and the farm shop sells the full range straight from the source, with draught cider available to try before you buy. Guided tours of the orchards and cider-making process run on selected days and need booking in advance.
• Sandford Station Railway Heritage Centre - a lovingly restored Victorian booking office from the old Cheddar Valley line, built in 1869 and one of the few of its kind still open to the public. Volunteers run a small café in converted railway carriages, and the site has archive photos and railway memorabilia.
• The Strawberry Line - the traffic-free path that follows the trackbed of the old railway, running from Yatton through Sandford towards Cheddar. It is flat, well-surfaced and popular with walkers and cyclists, and forms part of National Cycle Network Route 26.
• Cheddar Gorge - England's largest gorge and Cheddar's show caves are around 3 miles from Sandford, a short drive or a longer but pleasant cycle along the Strawberry Line.
• Mendip Hills - the AONB rises directly behind the village, with footpaths leading up onto open limestone grassland and views back across the Somerset Levels towards Glastonbury Tor and the Bristol Channel.
• Banwell Caves and Banwell Bone Cave - a short drive west, this curious 19th-century folly and fossil-filled cave system makes for an unusual detour.

The Railway Inn, on Station Road, has been at the heart of the village for well over a century and is now owned by Thatchers, serving the full range of the company's ciders alongside a gastropub menu built around local, seasonal ingredients. The Thatchers farm shop at Myrtle Farm is the obvious stop for cider, local produce and gifts, with draught cider on tap to taste before buying. Beyond the village, the café at Sandford Station Railway Heritage Centre offers a simple stop for tea, cake and ice cream while exploring the Strawberry Line, and the neighbouring villages of Winscombe and Churchill add a handful of further pubs and cafés within easy walking or cycling distance.

Sandford sits right at the foot of the Mendip Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of open limestone grassland, dry valleys and dramatic views back across the Somerset Levels - excellent walking country and a scenic, if occasionally exposed, spot for anyone wanting to camp within reach of Cheddar Gorge without staying in Cheddar itself. As with everywhere else in England, wild camping on the Mendips is not legally permitted without the landowner's express permission, so a proper site or a farm pitch with the owner's agreement is the way to go rather than pitching up on open access land.

The wider Mendip Hills and North Somerset countryside around Sandford has a good spread of campsites and glamping options, from simple grass-pitch farm campsites to more developed touring and caravan parks, many of them family-run and geared towards walkers and cyclists using the Strawberry Line, which passes right through the village. Some sites in the area also offer glamping in bell tents, shepherd's huts or pods for those who want the Mendip Hills scenery without full camping kit - a good option if you are visiting for the Thatchers cider tour or the railway heritage centre and want a comfortable base nearby.

Late spring through early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping here, with long evenings well suited to sitting out after a day on the hills or the cycle path. Early autumn brings the added bonus of the cider harvest at nearby Myrtle Farm, when the orchards around the village are at their most atmospheric. The limestone plateau of the Mendips can be cold, wet and windy outside the summer months, so if you are pitching on higher ground rather than in the more sheltered valley around Sandford itself, come prepared for changeable weather even in a typically mild Somerset summer.