Explore this fascinating area

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; a wide expanse of uplands offering constantly changing and surprising views; and a place where progress has apparently made but little impact: these are the Blackdown Hills

Rising steeply to a ridge from the valley of the Tone and declining gently down to the south coast, the Blackdown Hills are a unique landscape feature embracing a wealth of different habitats, from ancient oak woodlands to towering beech hedges, deeply-incised valleys to windswept downland where two wartime airfields created a temporary intrusion into the area’s tranquil character.

Lanes, tracks and byways offer plenty of scope for walking, cycling and horse riding, and if you want to get really involved in the countryside there are courses for everything from traditional crafts to hedgerow skills.

The Blackdown Hills offer an impressive scope of places to stay from country houses to cottages while the pubs and restaurants offer local food and drink of a rare quality and – thanks to the sheer diversity of landscape types – variety.

For more information on the area, please contact our Visitor Information Centres in Taunton and Wellington