Clare gladstone takes a look at some of the jewels in north somerset’s crown – its coastal towns.
As well as being the ideal place to make sandcastles and see the annual sand sculpture festival, which this year runs from April right through the summer, Weston-super-Mare’s beach is also famous for donkey rides and its 50 or so donkeys remain a popular site on the beach, bringing tourists back year after year.
The Grand Pier is Weston’s main landmark, stretching 1,300ft into the sea. As well as arcade machines and rides, the pier also offers Edwardian-style tearooms to offer visitors a welcome break. The pavilion is also used as a wedding venue and for conferencing facilities and the pier, open all year round except Christmas Day, also boasts a cinema and theatre with shows taking place over the summer.
The elegant ballroom at The Winter Gardens offers tea dances with views across the bay and bands still play at Weston’s 127-year-old Grade II listed bandstand in Grove Park.
The town’s former lido, the Tropicana, reopened in 2015 after 15 years of being derelict and now offers indoor and outdoor event space that hosts a range of events throughout the year, including, this year, the Weston super Food Festival in September and the Hazy Days Music Festival in July, which will feature Newton Faulkner, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Reef and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Visit The SeaQuarium, which, on its own pier on Weston seafront, has 10 different zones, including the Fantastic Phobias zone. Gasp at the sharks as they swim above you in the underwater ocean tunnel or marvel at the array of colours in the Tropical Reef Zone. OR
SPEND AN EVENING AT:
Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Somerset Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Somerset Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Up on the Down
Try this easy-to-follow Exmoor walk with SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE
Shop until you drop
It’s Somerset’s county town, it’s the place to go for the big shops, but Taunton is also home to a thriving independent scene, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY
Creatures of the night
Have you ever had something swoop past your ear, almost unseen? You may have had a brief encounter with a bat, says BERNARD BALE
Bowled over
Now that we can return to skittle and bowling alleys - albeit with new rules BERNARD BALE reveals that the sport of bowling has many Somerset links
Trackway through time
In the Somerset Levels SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE discovers a place where our Neolithic heritage rubs shoulders with the present day
SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR
The splendour of Exmoor National Park may appear timeless and untroubled, but a new book reveals the long and often bitter struggle conservationists faced to save the landscape from the twin threats of afforestation and the plough
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Charity starts at home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
Blooming brilliant
Will and Lauren Holley purchased a four-acre field in Somerset, converted it into a nursery, opened during lockdown and now their perennial plants are flying off the shelves. JULIE HARDING meets the go-getting couple
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role