Shiplate Farm Fishery

The Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (direct from the site) is just waiting to be explored on foot or by bike, and you can hire kayaks from Mendip Activity Centre (20 minutes) to paddle down the River Axe. There are caves and Bronze Age remains along the trails in Ebbor Gorge National Nature Reserve (half an hour) and reasonably challenging hiking along the Cheddar Gorge Walk (20 minutes). Head underground to explore a spectacular caves complex at Wookey Hole (half an hour) or have a potter around Axbridge (15 minutes), a lively town with a medieval market square, narrow streets and half-timbered, Tudor-era houses buildings as well as a slew of pubs and restaurants – and if you hit a rainy day (this being England after all) there’s a cinema there too. Fancy a day at the beach? Weston-super-Mare (15 minutes) and Burnham-on-Sea (20 minutes) both offer an expanse of sandy beaches and traditional amusement arcades; you can also buy classic English fish and chips and munch them on one of the piers.