20 Attractions to Explore Near Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve

Ham Wall is a wetland teeming with wildlife - from rare species like water voles and otters to magnificent birds like bitterns and kingfishers. Enjoy stunning views across the marshes to Glastonbury Tor and make some time to follow secluded paths through the mystical landscape.

The Shoe Museum, based in Street, Somerset, houses more than 1500 shoes from Roman to modern day. The Museum also tells the story of Clarks from its beginnings in the early 19th century. It showed the history of the Clark family and their company C. & J. Clark and its connection with the development of shoemaking in the town. The Clarks started making slippers, shoes and boots in the town in the 1820s and the company grew, introducing mechanised processes in the 1860s.

Glastonbury Abbey, in Somerset, England, is still a powerfully evocative place, shrouded in history, religion, and mythology. The abbey was founded in the 7th century and enlarged in the 10th. It was destroyed by a major fire in 1184, but subsequently rebuilt and by the 14th century was one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in England. The abbey controlled large tracts of the surrounding land and was instrumental in major drainage projects on the Somerset Levels.

Cossington Park is located in the pretty village of Cossington, on the edge of the Polden Hills and the Somerset Levels. It is a highly adaptable luxury holiday let, owned by my family for around 400 years. It is a lovingly cared-for home for your friends and family to come together for reunions, anniversaries, weddings and special occasions.

The Somerset Rural Life Museum is situated in Glastonbury, Somerset, UK. It is a museum of the social and agricultural history of Somerset, housed in buildings surrounding a 14th-century barn once belonging to Glastonbury Abbey. Explore rural life from the 1800s onwards and discover the county’s heritage including its landscape, food and farming, working life and rural crafts. The farmhouse and cowsheds are home to galleries and exhibition spaces, including permanent and temporary displays.

The Chalice Well, also known as the Red Spring, is a well situated at the foot of Glastonbury Tor in the county of Somerset, England. The natural spring and surrounding gardens are owned and managed by the Chalice Well Trust, founded by Wellesley Tudor Pole in 1959. Archaeological evidence suggests that the well has been in almost constant use for at least two thousand years.

Glastonbury Tor is one of the most famous landmarks in Somerset, if not the whole of the West Country. It's not just famous because it can be seen for miles and miles around, but also because it has huge spiritual significance for many people. The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the Somerset Levels. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving the hard cap of sandstone exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed rem

The Bower Inn is a charming 18th-century pub, restaurant and hotel situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels near Bridgwater. It offers stylish rooms with luxury bathrooms and delicious homemade food.

Westonzoyland Pumping Station offers visitors the chance to see a fascinating collection of pumps and engines in action on special steaming days. The museum is housed in an 1830 brick-built pumping station which was the first of several similar pumping stations to be built on the Somerset Levels which are prone to flooding. The Grade 2* listed building houses an 1861 Easton & Amos machine, fully restored and working.

The Burrow Mump is a natural hill, rising to a height of 24 metres above the levels below. The hill is made all the more striking because it is topped by the romantic ruins of a medieval church dedicated to St Michael. The hill stands at a strategic location overlooking the point where the River Tone and the old course of the River Cary join the River Parrett. Although there is some evidence of Roman visitation, the first fortification of the site was the construction of a Norman motte.

A heavily wooded gorge on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, Ebbor nature reserve offers excellent walks through ash woods and a superb view out over the Somerset Levels. The 41 ha reserve is cleft by two steep-sided valleys. The site was occupied by humans in the Neolithic Era and their tools and flint arrow heads have been discovered, along with pottery from the Bronze Age. There are also fossils of small mammals from the Late Devensian.

Wookey Hole is the UK’s largest show caves system, home to the infamous Witch of Wookey Hole and our new Chamber 20 with rare rock formations. With these world famous caves PLUS over 20 magnificent attractions, Wookey Hole is a great day out for all the family. The caves have been used by humans for around 45,000 years, demonstrated by the discovery of tools from the Palaeolithic period, along with fossilised animal remains.

Blake Museum is a 16th century house located in the heart of Bridgwater, a historic market town and port, first mentioned as Brugie in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is the local museum for archaeology and history of Bridgwater. With the collections covering Bridgwater and the surrounding areas, we have fascinating displays waiting for you to discover.

Cheddar Reservoir is an artificial reservoir in Somerset, England, operated by Bristol Water. It has a capacity of 135 million gallons. The reservoir is supplied with water taken from the Cheddar Yeo river in Cheddar Gorge. It is roughly circular in shape, and surrounded by large earth banks which are grazed by sheep.

The Bishop's Palace & Gardens in Wells, Somerset has been home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for over 800 years. This stunning medieval palace is open for all to enjoy. Surrounded by a breathtaking moat, cross the flagstone drawbridge, to experience a true hidden gem in the heart of the City of Wells. The palace was originally surrounded by a medieval deer park. When the walls were built, streams were diverted to form the moat as a reservoir.

The Wells Museum was founded by Herbert Balch in 1893. He was a naturalist, caver and geologist who pioneered many of the techniques used by modern cavers. The exhibits include items of local history and archaeological finds. It has permanent and temporary exhibitions, along with a series of events throughout the year

Wells Cathedral is set in the medieval heart of England's smallest city and is the earliest English Cathedral to be built in the Gothic style. The cathedral dboasts a magnificent west front covered in medieval sculptures of saints and kings. It has been called "unquestionably one of the most beautiful" and "most poetic" of English cathedrals.

Vicars’ Close, believed to be the only complete medieval street left in England. This significant landmark was designed to provide communal accommodation for the Vicars Choral, who sang daily worship within the Cathedral. This centuries-old tradition continues today and is a unique and much valued part of life at Wells Cathedral.

A beautiful 42 acres of Leisure and Wildlife Park offers visitors a chance to relax away from the bustle of Burnham’s shopping centre and beach. Apex was once an area of clay digging where several pits were excavated and when these were later flooded, they became lakes which are now home to many types of wildlife. There are various facilities including an outdoor gym, a lake and birdlife.

Gough's Cave is located in Cheddar Gorge on the Mendip Hills, in Cheddar, Somerset, England. The cave is 115 m deep and is 3.405 km long, and contains a variety of large chambers and rock formations. It contains the Cheddar Yeo, the largest underground river system in Britain. Palaeolithic caves and rock shelters provide some of the earliest evidence of human activity in the period from about 400,000 to 10,000 years ago.