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Somerset

Paul Ogden
20/ 9/2008

WITH everyone outlining reasons against venturing abroad for a holiday - what with the price of everything in Euroland and how you inch the Earth closer to oblivion if you set foot on a plane - you forget why a `staycation' is such an appealing idea.

Far from being second-best, a holiday in our country is so wonderful because you can always unearth new gems so close to home.

I'd never stayed in Somerset. It was always a place I'd pass through to get to Devon or Cornwall, but I was taken with this county of gentle hills, gentle lilts and not- so-gentle cider.

We basked on wide beaches, grubbed for fossils in rocky coves, had fun at its attractions and discovered elegant streets in its historic towns.

Wonderful views

We spent some time near Minehead. An unfortunate name, really, as being a Lancashire lad it brings to mind winding gear and slagheaps, but rather than mining it is thought to derive from `mynedd', meaning mountain, and towering North Hill broods over this surprisingly pretty resort, which marks the start of the South West Coastal Path.

The leafy main street has its fair share of posh coffee shops and purveyors of high-class local produce as well as brash penny arcades which echo the imposing Butlins there.

We stayed in a plush mobile home at Hoburne Blue Anchor, sandwiched between a panoramic bay and the longest `heritage' steam train line in Britain, which had our kids aping the Railway Children and running to wave at the passengers when they saw that hourly puff of smoke.

The site is a two-mile walk along the beach and through fields and woods to hilltop Dunster Castle (www.nationaltrust.org/dunstercastle, 01643 821314) with wonderful views from its magnificent terraced gardens above the medieval village.

Hoburne's pristine park has a great adventure-style playground inside a high canopied copse, an informative nature trail and an indoor swimming pool, as well as the spectacle of the lovingly-restored steam trains.

Authentic

You can travel 20 miles along the West Somerset Railway (www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk, 01643 704996) which is manned by 700 volunteers, stopping off at 10 time-warp stations along the way with your old-fashioned cardboard ticket punched by a smiling guard.

The next station stop to us was the little harbour town of Watchet, becoming gentrified through its burgeoning marina, but still sufficiently caked in brine to feel authentic.

There are fossils on its rocky beaches and we were directed to the best spot to find 300 million-year-old ammonites by none other than Prof Eric Robinson, a past president of the Geologists' Association. He overheard our conversation about fossils while he tended flowers as a volunteer on the sweet station platform.

Some call Cheddar Gorge, a little tongue in cheek, England's Grand Canyon. But it is impressive when you get out of your car and walk down it, marvelling at the climbers or, more safely, from the open-top double-decker bus with a guide to point out its majesty.

The caverns at Cheddar Gorge (www.cheddarcaves.co.uk, 01934 742343) are impressive, too, with the main one, Gough's Cave, having jaw-dropping illuminated mineral features and a smaller one - Cox's Cave - incorporating spooky special effects and a few scream-inducing moments for the kids.

Tastefully modernised

Wookey Hole (wookey.co.uk, 01749 672243) - some eight miles away - has more of a theme park slant, with indoor play areas and a paper mill, but some fine caves, too, including one storing aged Cheddar cheese, and a tunnel which was dear to me as an eight-year-old. It was where Dr Who (Tom Baker complete with boa constrictor scarf) confronted the Cybermen.

Around here we stayed in farmhouse bread and breakfast accommodation, with one just outside the village of Evercreech, near Shepton Mallet.

Rodmore Farm's Old Dairy Rooms (www.olddairyrooms.co.uk, 01749 830531) - all mottled flagged floors and stone walls but tastefully modernised to include a kitchen and living room with a family bedroom and shower-room above - has a connecting door to the main house, through which cheerful farmer's wife Alison Craddock brings your cooked breakfast.

A spacious place to stay if you are tired of a tent at the nearby Glastonbury festival. We visited the ancient, hippified town to see the atmospheric, peaceful Abbey (www.glastonburyabbey.com, 01458 832267) and scale the improbably-shaped Tor.

The hill is so distinctive you can see it from miles around and it was central in our gorgeous view across fields and orchards from the windows of our large family room in the next farmhouse, in the exquisite village of Cossington.

Eye-opening

Dogs and kittens roam the pretty gardens of Susan Bell's Brookhayes Farm (www.farmstayuk.co.uk, 01278 722559), which also serves a fine breakfast, with local sausages, bacon and eggs and creamy milk taken from the sheds next door, where our children had the eye-opening experience of watching some of the 150- strong herd being milked.

There is a wonderful pub, too, a 15-minute walk away. The Red Tile has award-winning food and local Butcombe real ales, with horse riders tying up here after a trot round the lanes.

We wanted to try it so visited Exmoor Pony Centre (www.exmoorponycentre.org.uk, 01398 323093) where our children had a "taster" session, getting to know this gentle, ancient breed.

Run by the Moorland Mousie Trust, the centre helps to protect the ponies, including slightly tubby Sherbet who our kids groomed, tacked up and then rode under the expert supervision of helper Linzi Green and became one of the highlights of a great staycation.

Prices for a two-bedroom caravan at Hoburne Blue Anchor in October start from £190 for a week. To book a holiday at Hoburne Blue Anchor call the reservations team on 01643 821360. For more information about Hoburne Holiday Parks please visit www.hoburne.com.

For general information on the county go to www.visitsomerset.co.uk .