Taunton

Taunton makes a practical, well-connected base for a Somerset hotel break, with the M5 and a main-line railway station putting the Quantock Hills, the Somerset Levels, Exmoor and the coast at Minehead all within easy striking distance. The town itself offers a handful of traditional coaching inns and independent hotels within walking distance of the castle, museum and market, ideal for visitors who want to explore on foot without needing a car for every trip. For those planning to spend their days walking, cycling or visiting Hestercombe Gardens and the wider countryside, a hotel or country house on the edges of town or in a nearby village such as Bishops Lydeard offers a quieter stay with easier access to the hills. Whichever you choose, Taunton's central position in the county means day trips to Wells, Glastonbury, the Blackdown Hills and the coast are all realistic without a long drive, making it a sensible hub for a longer Somerset stay as well as a short break in its own right.

Taunton's own attractions are compact and easily covered on foot, and they reward a slower pace than you might expect from a county town of its size.

• Museum of Somerset — Housed in the medieval Great Hall of Taunton Castle, this excellent free museum tells the story of the county from prehistoric times onward, with highlights including a 200-million-year-old plesiosaur fossil, the Frome Hoard of Roman coins and a Bronze Age gold torc.
• Taunton Castle — The castle that shelters the museum has its own long history, having been besieged during the Monmouth Rebellion and used by Judge Jeffreys for the notorious Bloody Assizes trials of 1685.
• Vivary Park — A well-loved Victorian park a short walk from the town centre, with formal flower beds, a boating lake, an adventure play area and a network of paths that follow the old fish ponds of Taunton Priory.
• Somerset County Cricket Ground — Home to Somerset County Cricket Club since 1882, the County Ground hosts first-class and international fixtures through the summer and is one of the most atmospheric small grounds on the circuit.
• St Mary Magdalene Church — Taunton's parish church has one of the finest Perpendicular Gothic towers in the county, rebuilt in the 19th century to the original medieval design and visible for miles across the vale.
• The Quantock Hills — A short drive north of town, this compact range of heather moorland and wooded combes was England's first landscape to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with waymarked walks from villages such as Kingston St Mary and Bishops Lydeard.
• West Somerset Railway — The heritage steam line that runs from Bishops Lydeard, just outside Taunton, to Minehead on the coast, one of the longest preserved railways in England and a favourite day out for families.

The town's food scene mixes traditional Somerset fare with a growing number of independent restaurants. Castle Bow, next to Taunton Castle, has long been one of the county's better-regarded restaurants for modern British cooking, while Augustus in the town centre is a well-established name for classic bistro dishes. Ciao Amore on East Street is popular for pizza and pasta, and Lotus Flower offers a broad Thai menu in the town centre. For something more traditional, Taunton's pubs serve local Somerset cider alongside hearty food, and the indoor market and independent cafes around the High Street are good for a lighter bite between sightseeing.

Somerset's gentle, orchard-studded countryside around Taunton offers some genuinely good camping, from small farm sites tucked beneath the Quantock Hills to family-friendly campsites nearer the Somerset Levels. As in the rest of England, wild camping is not permitted without the landowner's permission, so a booked pitch on a proper site is the way to go, and the choice around Taunton ranges from simple, no-frills fields with a tap and a compost loo to fully serviced touring parks with electric hook-up, showers and a shop. The Quantock Hills, a short drive north of town, are particularly good camping country: wooded combes, open heather moorland and quiet lanes make for excellent walking and cycling straight from the tent, and several small sites in villages such as Bicknoller and Holford put you right at the foot of the hills. Closer to town, sites around the Somerset Levels suit those who want easy access to Taunton itself along with the flatter, waterside landscape of rhynes, willows and wading birds that the Levels are known for.

Camping around Taunton is at its best from late spring through to early autumn, when the Quantocks are purple with heather in August and the orchards that give Somerset its cider are heavy with fruit by September. Summer brings warm, settled weather often enough to make evenings around the campfire a real pleasure, though Somerset's mild, damp climate means it is worth coming prepared for rain at any time of year. For those who like the outdoors but want a roof over their head, glamping has taken off across the county, with shepherd's huts, bell tents and safari lodges available on farms within easy reach of Taunton, many of them working farms where cider apples or livestock share the land with the pitches. Whether you are pitching a small tent for a weekend on the Quantocks or booking a glamping pod as a base for exploring the wider county, Taunton's campsites put you within easy reach of the hills, the Levels and the town itself.