Home Page Skip Navigation

Shopping

Two suggested day trips for the 'shopaholics' among us! Choose from Clarks Village & Wells or alternatively The Somerset Guild of Craftsmen and Muchelney Pottery.

Wells and Clarks Village (Total miles: approx 12 Time: 6 hours)

1) A one day round trip starting and finishing in Wells, England's smallest City, where shopping is one of its main attractions. You will probably want to allow up to 3 hours here. Car and Coach parks are signposted as you drive into the city. If you are planning to visit Wells on either a Wednesday or Saturday then itÕs worth remembering that this is when the general market is held in the Market Place definitely worth seeing! Wander through the streets of Wells and browse in the variety of shops here, from high street names to a wealth of small antique shops, art galleries and book stores. Cake and tea shops are dotted throughout the City for a morning coffee stop. You can pick up a leaflet entitled 'Shopping in Wells' listing all shops and their locations (available from the Tourist Information Centre found in the Market Place.)

2) Leave Wells, taking the A39 to Street for approx. 6 miles. Follow signs for Clarks Village, There is a large car and coach park. Shop till you drop here, but don't forget to stop for lunch.

Clarks Village is a huge factory-shopping centre, offering literally thousands of bargains including discontinued lines, last season's stock and the pick of factory seconds. Walk through the village and you'll instantly find names you recognise, with over 50 outlets including; Next to Nothing, Monsoon, Reebok, Levi's, Crabtree & Evelyn, Benetton, Laura Ashley and of course Clarks Shoes, to name but a few. If you tire of shopping you can always step back in time at the Clarks Shoe Museum, join in the fun at The Village Pottery or see an artist at work in Michael Coopers Studio. Possible lunch stops include The Food Factory serving a variety of hot and cold food or The Bear Inn, a traditional village pub.

3) Leave Clarks Village and continue back to Wells on the A39, approx 6 miles.

The Somerset Guild of Craftsmen and Muchelney Pottery
(total miles: approx 20 Time: 4-5 hours)

1) A one-day round trip starting and finishing in Yeovil. Leave Yeovil on the A3088 for Martock, turn left onto the A303. Follow signs for Martock and The Somerset Guild of Craftsmen on the B3165. Approx. 7 miles. Coach parking available. You will probably want to allow up to 1.5 hours here. The Martock gallery displays work of the highest quality created by members of the Guild of Craftsmen, which was established over 60 years ago, and uses innovative designs. A variety of work to be seen including pottery, wood turning, ironwork, furniture, embroidery, silver jewellery, calligraphy and weaving. There is also a craftshop for you to puchase goods, a gallery and a coffee shop. Martock itself is noted for the quality of its fine old buildings, something it owes to its proximity to Ham Hill, where stone has been quarried since Roman Times. There are a couple of pubs in the village for lunch, one is The George Inn, the oldest Inn in Martock, dating back as far as 1631.

2) Leave Martock and continue on the B3165 to Muchelney for approx. 3 miles. Follow signs for Muchelney Pottery. There is limited coach parking here - so it advisable to notify the pottery well in advance of your visit. Allow up to 2 hours here. Medieval Muchelney, meaning 'the great island', where since the Middle Ages travellers have been drawn, visible across the open moors of the unique Somerset Levels, and home to Muchelney Pottery. Here you will find John Leach carrying on his family tradition in his own thatched-roofed pottery, established in 1965. You can view the workshops (please notify the pottery in advance) and see the three-chambered kiln used to make the wood-fired pots, which reaches a temperature of 1320 oc. A wide range of kitchen pots and a selection of individual pots are available in the pottery shop, open all year. Muchelney Abbey, neraby, is well worth a visit if time permits.

3) Leave Muchelney and join the B3165 taking you back towards Martock, turn left onto the A303 then right onto the A3088 to Yeovil. Approx. 10 mile journey.

For opening times and admission prices please see under entry in attractions section.

Other Shopping Ideas:
Taunton Somerset's County Town is a shoppers paradise
Farmers Markets are packed with fresh Somerset produce
Traditional Markets are held at Bridgwater, Chard, Crewkerne, Frome, Minehead, Shepton Mallet, Taunton, Wells and Yeovil.

General Advice & Information: contact the Somerset Visitor Centre Tel: 01934 750833