Somerset travel guide

Somerset ( SUM-ər-set, -⁠sit), archaically Somersetshire ( SUM-ər-set-sheer, -⁠sit-, -⁠shər), is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Bristol, and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west.

Because of several local government reorganisations, the exact definition of the county of Somerset depends on whether you are talking about the modern administrative or the traditional county. This article specifically covers the current administrative county of Somerset, plus the unitary districts of "North Somerset" and "Bath and North East Somerset", which constitute much of the traditional county of Somerset. It does not cover the city of Bristol, which by tradition and in modern times is a county in its own right.

Getting in

The region's main airport is Bristol Airport. There are major railway stations at Bristol (Bristol Temple Meads) and Taunton. Both are served by trains from London (Paddington), Cardiff, Manchester, the North of England, Devon and Cornwall, from the Great Western Railway and CrossCountry operators. Bristol is also served by trains from Portsmouth, Weymouth, Hampshire and Dorset. There is also a slower South Western Railway line between London Waterloo and Exeter which serves the south of county with stations at Yeovil and Crewkerne.

Getting around

The best way to get around Somerset is probably by car - while certain major towns and cities are served by rail, many popular tourist destinations, such as Clevedon, have no station, or, like Minehead, are served only by heritage railways with no connection to mainline stations. See West Somerset Railway, for details on the main heritage railway in the area.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.