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Somerset Coast
The Somerset coastline has something for everyone, busy seaside resorts, picturesque towns and harbours, marinas and stunning coastline.
You can sunbathe on golden sandy beaches, enjoy the amusements, take part in a wide variety of water sports or go for a relaxing cruise on the Bristol Channel.
There are beautiful coastal routes to walk, sites of Special Scientific Interest, nature reserves and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Dogs on Beaches info
Tide Times for Somerset (link to BBC)
2010 North Somerset Tide Times Pdf
Family Resorts
Somerset is a great place to bring the family for a traditional British seaside holiday - we have superb sandy beaches and a range of seaside towns all within easy reach of the M5.
Minehead offers traditional seaside fun. It's an attractive, flower filled resort with a wide, smart new promenade and big beach. The colourful seafront is filled with family attractions and amusements, and the town makes a marvellous base for exploring the glorious Exmoor countryside.
Burnham-on-Sea, Berrow and Brean Sands offer everything you'd expect of a seaside holiday. Adults and younger visitors are well catered for at the many holiday centres. There are miles of sandy beach, outdoor and indoor amusements and the thrills of one of the South West's biggest leisure parks.
Accommodation options include a vast range of caravan and holiday parks, bed and breakfasts, plus self catering cottages to hire, or you could even buy your own holiday home for many visits to come.
Further up the coast is Weston-super-Mare, perfect for families and just off the M5 motorway at Junction 21. With all the fun of the Grand Pier, miles of clean sandy beaches, donkey rides, amusements, great restaurants, night life, and of course, award-winning fish and chips. There are excellent parks to relax in, bandstand concerts throughout the summer and Jill's Garden in Grove Park built by the BBC's Ground Force team to celebrate the life of Jill Dando - a native of Weston-super-Mare.
Quieter Coast
Somerset offers a fine range of quiet coastal walks and charming seaside villages with stunning views across the Bristol Channel.
Exmoor is a place of superlatives - England's highest sea cliffs, the most romantic coves, the thickest coastal forests, the loftiest headlands and a wonderfully diverse wildlife.
The 630 mile South West Coast Path starts at Minehead and immediately enters its most spectacular stretch as it scales Exmoor's towering sea cliffs, skirts beautiful bays and takes you to sandy coves with rock pools.
On the A39 don't miss the turning for Kilve Beach. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Along this coast the cliffs are layered with compressed strata of oil-bearing shale and blue, yellow and brown limestone embedded with fossils. Enjoy the rock pools, they're great for crabbing!
Further up the coast Brean Down, owned by the National Trust, is a remarkable headland with far reaching views, interesting archaeological remains and natural history.
Quieter areas of the coastline offer excellent bird watching opportunities, and there are several nature reserves and hides. Bridgwater Bay is internationally important for wildfowl and wading birds.
Just south of Weston-super-Mare is Uphill nature reserve, an unspoiled area noted for its wild flowers, particularly orchids and its wildlife. North of Weston-super-Mare is National Trust owned Sand Point, a stunning headland with views over to Wales and down to Minehead Bay.
Further up the coast is the quiet Victorian town of Clevedon where you can catch a trip on the Waverley and Balmoral pleasure steamers from the grade one listed pier. A short coastal path to the south of the promenade called Poets Walk gives splendid views across to Wales and a coastal path runs between Clevedon and Portishead to the north.
Harbours and Marinas
Don't forget the quieter corners of Minehead, around Quay Street and the pretty harbour adorned with little fishing boats, beautiful Blenheim Gardens and the picturesque Higher Town with its lime-washed thatched cottages.
The sweep of Porlock Bay takes you on to charming Porlock, named as the 'best large village in Somerset' in 2003 and Porlock Weir - an artist's delight and haven for small boats. The award-winning restaurant "Andrews on the Weir" can also be found here. Porlock Weir is a good starting point for walks to Porlock Marsh and Culbone - home to England's smallest church.
The ancient little seaport of Watchet has a quirky charm and a history of Viking invasions. It's an intriguing mix of narrow streets, old maritime buildings and quaint shops The newly developed marina is home to a stunning array of boats. Coleridge wrote his epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner after a visit in 1797, which is now celebrated by a magnificent statue on the quayside. The West Somerset Railway stops here.
Portishead, just south of Bristol, is an ancient marine port with a wealth of history, and is now home to a stunning, modern 150-berth marina and housing development.
- 2010 Tide Times
- 60 Kb
2010 Somerset Tide Times
