Mendip Camp

This site’s a brill base for checking out Cheddar Gorge’s walking trails well above sea level, navigating the 500,000-year-old Gough’s Cave or touring the National Trust’s Tudor-era King John’s Hunting Lodge (all 10 minutes’ drive). You could also stretch the legs at Chew Valley Lake, a reservoir well worth roaming around (20 minutes). Reward yourself after lengthy strolls with wine tasting at the Aldwick Estate vineyards (15 minutes) or, if you’re with the kids, get to Puxton Park for adventures with the animals. There’s also a soft play area, aerial climbing and a boating lake at this spot amid 40 acres of countryside (20 minutes). Small travellers also love splashing at the coast on Burnham-on-Sea beach (25 minutes), one of the longest stretches of sand in Europe, and investigating the underground spaces in the Wookey Hole caves (25 minutes). Chew Valley Animal Park, also 25 minutes away, is another winner with the wee ones for its varied range of creatures – from donkeys and meerkats to skunks and African pygmy hedgehogs.