Duddlestone Farm

Duddlestone Farm sits at the foot of the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (five minutes’ drive or 20 minutes’ walk), a fabulous area for hiking and cycling. There’s another AONB calling too: the Quantock Hills (20 minutes’ drive) are popular for heathland yomps and mountain biking trails, and if you’re liking the sound of clifftop adventures, join the South West Coast Path at Lyme Regis (40 minutes). When you’re chasing less strenuous seaside adventures with the kids, head for Charmouth (40 minutes) to search for fossils on the beach, or take them – and any dogs – for an airing along the shingle stretch at Branscombe (45 minutes). Taunton (10 minutes) has an indoor swimming pool, as well as the stunning Frome Hoard of Roman coins at the Museum of Somerset and plenty of match memorabilia at the Somerset Cricket Museum – they all make good rainy days ideas. Care to sample some local cider? Head for Sheppy’s Cider Farm (15 minutes) for a tour and tastings. More local produce is available at Otter Valley Ice Cream and Field Kitchen (25 minutes), where the kids will no doubt adore fudge ice cream made from milk from the farm’s dairy herd.