Dogging in Somerset: area guide

The lie of the land in Somerset

Taunton is the county town. Bridgwater, Yeovil, Frome, Wells, Glastonbury, Street, Minehead and Burnham-on-Sea are the other places most people know. Bristol, Bath and the North Somerset coast sit in our Bristol and Avon guide, so this one covers the rest of the county.

The Somerset Levels and Moors fill the middle, a huge flat plain of drains, rhynes and willow, with low hills rising out of it. The Mendip Hills lie to the north, the Quantock Hills to the west, and the Blackdown Hills on the Devon border. Exmoor National Park covers the north-west, running down to the Bristol Channel, which has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world.

This is a rural county with few big towns, so most journeys are long and country-based. People travel in from Bristol, Devon, Dorset and Wiltshire, and an odd lane or field edge can turn busy for no reason you would guess.

Getting about safely

The M5 runs north to south past Bridgwater and Taunton, and the A303 crosses the south of the county past Ilminster and Wincanton. Those two roads jam badly on summer weekends and at the start of school holidays. The A39, A38, A37, A361 and A358 link the towns, and many are single carriageway with slow vehicles and few overtaking spots.

Taunton and Bridgwater are on the main line to Bristol and Exeter. Castle Cary, Frome and Yeovil have their own services, and the West Somerset Railway is a heritage steam line. Minehead and much of the west have no regular mainline train. Last trains leave earlier than many people expect, so check yours or book a taxi home.

The Levels flood most winters, and roads can be under water for days with no warning in the dark. Never drive into floodwater. Around Burnham-on-Sea and the Channel coast, mudflats are soft and the tide comes in fast. On Exmoor and the Mendips, roads are steep, unlit and often foggy, and phone signal is patchy. Tell a friend where you are going and keep your phone charged.