Somerset (1)

June 22 - 27 2022

 Oh Well(s)

Life had been rather hectic prior to 22 June.  Mum had been to stay, involving two return trips to Kent, Louise and Connie had visited as bookends to their Cambridgeshire/Hertfordshire trip and Chris and Ben came across for one night too, so that Chris and Louise could have a bit of time together. So we really did feel in need of a break.

We broke the journey to Wells with a stop at Gloucester Services, which rather impressed us.  It’s under the same ownership as Tebay, but was considerably quieter and the hot lunch was good.  So no cooking was required on arrival at the site.  On arrival at Wells Touring Park we received a friendly welcome and were directed to an elevated pitch at the back of the site.  It was hot and sunny and we anticipated setting up camp quickly and then relaxing in the sunshine.  However, things went awry pretty quickly.  The pitch had a fair slope to it, so out came the ramps and John prepared to ascend; I was certain we needed the top step.  We didn’t fully appreciate the effect that the downward slope of the pitch and thick gravel would have; after reaching the top step, the weight of the van was too much for the edge of the ramps and they catapulted, creating a sort of spring between the rear of the front tyres and the underneath of the ‘van.  The ramps and van were locked solid.  We were very lucky that the site warden had a scissor jack and he valiantly jacked up first one side of the van, then the other, so that we could remove the ramps, which had remarkably suffered no permanent damage.  From that point on we settled for the middle step of the ramps and put up with the fact that we still weren’t level.

Once that little hiccup was behind us, Wells Touring Park proved to be the relaxing place we needed.  It’s an adults only site and is also designated a Tranquil Park and indeed it is.  There is a bus stop right outside the entrance for easy travelling in either direction.  Site facilities include a bar, The Lounge, and a grill barrow, from which the warden produces a limited menu on Friday and Saturday evenings and bacon baps on a Sunday morning.  We appreciated having the bar and patio as a meeting space to chat to other campers, but not the beat of Heart FM transmitted to the toilet block, morning, noon and night!  In view of the age profile of the campers, Classic FM would probably have been more appropriate!

We made several trips into Wells, which is only 30 minutes walk away or ten minutes on the bus.  It is the smallest city in England and has many individual shops, such as Absolute Cards, and cafes to tempt you.  On the first occasion we walked in, having looked at an old timetable on the internet and arriving at the bus stop at the wrong time. As a reward for this we had coffee at the Bishop’s Palace Cafe, and then walked around the perimeter of the Palace Gardens beside the moat, admiring Vicars’ Close, believed to be the only complete medieval street left in England. It was designed to provide communal accommodation for the Vicars’ Choral, who sang daily worship within the Cathedral and this tradition continues today.  The current occupants still include all twelve men of the Vicars’ Choral, recognised as a world-class choir, plus the organists and vergers.  We learnt on a subsequent visit to the Cathedral that “vicar” actually means “substitute”.

Vicar's Close

A ploughman’s lunch at Kitty Banks on Market Place revived us before getting our two for one tickets (courtesy of Gardeners World) to visit the interesting Bishops Palace Gardens.  These include the ruins of the Great Hall, formal gardens, and the wells, from which the town gets its name.  We had an interesting guided tour of the Palace and Chapel before returning to the camp site by bus, having picked up an accurate hard-copy timetable at the bus station.

Cathedral from the Palace gardens

Palace Interior

Walls and moat around the Palace

The site is very close to Wookey Hole Caves, which we had intended to visit, but on reflection we decided that it was more of a day out for families and instead opted for a relaxing morning on the site, with an afternoon trip back to Wells on the bus to visit the Cathedral.  Unfortunately, the bus was late which meant we had missed the last Cathedral tour of the day, but we picked out the main sights ourselves, including the coffee shop!  The nave, with its scissor arches and ornate ceiling, was most impressive.  

Wells Cathedral

Likewise, the stained-glass windows and the beautiful, octagonal Chapter House, where clergy used to meet to transact Cathedral business and which, in fact, was used again during the Covid 19 pandemic, because its size facilitated social distancing.  Our cathedral visit ended by attending Choral Evensong before hailing a taxi to take us back to base (well, it was raining, the last bus had gone and it would have been most unpleasant to walk!

The East Somerset Railway beckoned on Saturday.  We rode on the first train out at 11 am, covering the 5 mile return trip in about 35 minutes.  There is no spectacular scenery to delight you; you must just sit back and enjoy the smell of the smoke and the clickety-clack noise from the rails.  

Our train...

...and the old ticket office

There was plenty to see at the station, such as an original W H Smith kiosk, museum, old ticket office and waiting room and engine shed.  Many photos were taken before heading back to the site, via Morrisons, and then enjoying a pre-dinner drink outside The Lounge, dinner being provided from the Grill Barrow.

We had noticed Milton Lodge Gardens on the WellsSomerset website and set out to find them on Sunday afternoon.  They are reached via a narrow road and an even narrower track once on the property.  Anything wider than a van conversion would not have got between the concrete pillars.  Parking is on the grass on either side of the track.  We were delighted to find out that the gardens are part of the Gardeners World two for one offer, so our card was used for a second time.  There is usually tea and cake on offer, but sadly not on our visit, due to other family commitments.  The first delight was the spectacular view from the terrace over the Vale of Avalon and Wells Cathedral.  

Paths meander through the beautiful terraced flower beds, woodland garden and arboretum.  Certainly worth a visit.  

From the garden we drove into Wells to double check the quality of the coffee and cake at the Bishops Palace cafe!  After that it was our intention to do a short walk but we were distracted by the Midsomer Norton and Radstock Silver Band who were playing in the gardens so we decided to listen to their wonderful concert instead.

We spent another enjoyable day in and around Wells on Monday, taking an interesting guided tour around the cathedral in the morning before a delicious lunch at ASK (sea bass and chocolate brownie for me, risotto and cheesecake for John).  Feeling in need of some exercise, we did the two mile walk put off from yesterday which led us away from Wells, up to Tor Hill quarry, down through Tor Woods and back to the Palace.  The herd of cows grazing on our route were a little worrying, but we sidled past them without mishap.