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North Devon and Somerset Holiday Cottages
A holiday cottage in North Devon and Somerset, whether on the coast or inland, can cater for anyone's taste. There are holiday cottages all over North Devon and Somerset to suit any size family or pocket.
North Devon and Somerset have beautiful coastlines, with some of the highest cliffs in England, old harbours and hidden coves for you to explore. The coast of Exmoor is very rocky, with secluded bays and impressive cliffs, but there are long sandy beaches in Somerset, such as Minehead or Burnham-on-Sea, that you can relax on during your holiday cottage break in North Devon and Somerset. North Devon even has its own island, Lundy Island, which is surrounded by the UK's only Statutory Marine Reserve. Lundy Island is full of seals, Sika deer, Lundy ponies, Soay sheep, rabbits, basking sharks, dolphins and seabirds.
Inland, you have Exmoor, steeped in legends, where you can walk, ride a horse or cycle, travelling around your holiday cottage in North Devon and Somerset.
There are many literary connections, such as the Tarka Country, Lorna Doone was shot at the altar in Oare church on Exmoor, Charles Kingsley's desk in Clovelly, or you can take the day away from your holiday cottage to go and see Westard Ho!, where Rudyard Kipling spent his school years. The Coleridge Way is a walking route in the footsteps of the romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge when he visited Somerset. Somerset is full of history and legends, for example you can walk in the footsteps of King Arthur and King Alfred, and visit the mysterious Glastonbury Tor, which rises from the Somerset Levels, ancient wetlands.
On your North Devon and Somerset cottage holiday, you can take part in the many activities available. There is an abundance of sporting and physical activities from walking to para-gliding. There are a few theme parks, which have various exciting rides and exhibitions and shows, such as flying ferrets, the sheep grand national or you can feed a new born lamb. All these are within reach of wherever in North Devon and Somerset you book your holiday cottage.
If relaxation is more your thing on your North Devon and Somerset cottage holiday, you can relax on the beaches or be pampered in a local health and leisure clubs.
There are many excellent restaurants for your cottage holiday in North Devon, and you have to experience the local speciality of a cream tea. The seafood is also very fresh here. Somerset is famous for its cider and cheese, and you can see cheddar cheese being made in Cheddar Gorge.
Festivals
There are 4 food festivals in Somerset, one in May and 3 in October. The Quantock Food Festival is the one in May, followed in October by the South Somerset Food Festival, then the Exmoor Food Festival and finally the Mendip Food Festival.
For the whole month of June is the North Devon Festival.
The Barnstaple Fringe.
The Goldcoast OceanFest celebrates music and sports.
The Bideford Folk Festival offers music from around the world.
The Lynton and Lynmouth Music Festival.
The Appledore Visual Arts Festival.
The North Devon and Exmoor Walking and Cycling Festival.
The annual Victorian Week in Ilfracombe.
Places to go
Wells is the smallest city in England, nestled in the Mendip hills, and its cathedral is worth a visit on a day trip from your holiday cottage. Built in 1180, it takes its name from the holy water available in the springs in the Bishops Palace grounds.
Further south, especially round Yeovil, you will come across quaint villages and stately houses built from honey-coloured stone, some of which house holiday cottages in North Devon and Somerset.
Wookey Hole caves and papermill in Wells offer spectacular caves, said to be the legendary home of the Witch of Wookey, and a working Victorian papermill. This houses various exhibitions, such as a film on how paper was made and even the opportunity to make your own paper, and incorporates the Old Penny Arcade and the Magical Mirror Maze. This would be a great day trip from your holiday cottage in North Devon and Somerset.
Cheddar Gorge makes a good day out from your holiday cottage in North Devon and Somerset, and it offers activities above and below ground, and has attracted tourists for 200 years. Here you can take part in the rock sport adventure activities, or simply sit and enjoy a cream tea.
If you want to leave your holiday cottage in North Devon and Somerset for the day and are feeling active, the beaches and the sea offer various adventure activities.
The Maritime Museum at Appledore.
The Hartland Quay Museum.
Barnstaple Museum and the pannier market.
Ilfracombe Museum.
Great Torrington is worth a visit to see important events of the Civil War.
Dartington Crystal.
The Atlantic Village Shopping complex.
The Exmoor Zoological Park.
There is also an animal collection of over 600 exotic animal and birds at Chard. Set in a scenic valley, this is part of world conservation programmes.
Historic sights
One of the most famous historic sights is the prehistoric stones of Stonehenge, which was erected sometime between 3000BC and 1600BC. The actual purpose of the stones is still not known, but Stonehenge was made a World Heritage Site in 1986. Stonehenge is surrounded by a ceremonial landscape comprising more than 300 burial mounds and major prehistoric monuments such as the Stonehenge Avenue, the Cursus, Woodhenge and Durrington Walls. This is an excellent area to book your holiday cottage in.
The Roman Baths museum shows the story of the Romans, who built the baths as a religious spa 2,000 years ago. The baths still flow with natural hot water, and you can view some of the objects which were thrown into the sacred spring at the temple of Sulis Minerva as a gift for the goddesses.
So, whatever you want, from an action packed holiday to a relaxing break, choose a holiday cottage in North Devon and Somerset.