In September, we went on a family holiday to the West Country and spent five days exploring Somerset. The last time I had been to Somerset was on a family trip to Weston Super Mare 30+ years ago. Needless to say, I couldn’t remember much about it!

This time, I began my journey in Cheddar Gorge, and then drove to Brean to meet up with the rest of the family.

Our first full day in Somerset was overcast, but we were keen to explore. So we jumped into our cars and headed off to Burnham-on-Sea.

Burnham-On-Sea

Burnham is just a 12-minute drive from Brean, which was nice after the long journey the day before. We managed to find a parking space on the road, right next to the beach. 

Sinking mud

Before arriving in Somerset, we’d heard several news stories about people getting stuck in sinking mud on Somerset beaches. This part of the coastline sits between the notoriously muddy Bristol Channel and the Severn Estuary. The Severn Estuary has the second-highest tidal range in the world, and when the tide starts to change, people often get caught out by the sinking mud!

It’s very unlike me not to want to dip my toes in the sea. But there was no way I was going to risk getting caught out and finding myself neck deep in mud! On this trip, I would have to make do with walking along the Somerset coastlines vast promenades instead.

There isn’t much to do in Burnham, so after a walk along the promenade, we headed to Wetherspoons for lunch. For those of you not acquainted with Wetherspoons, you’ll find them in most towns and cities in England. The menu is simple, but great value for money! It’s not usually my preferred place to eat, but sometimes, needs must. And let’s face it, you can’t beat their prices!

The landscape in Burnham is quite bleak. Not helped by the view of a great big nuclear power plant on the Welsh side of the the estuary! On a sunny day in the middle of the holiday season, I’m sure it looks a lot more inviting. But, on an overcast day, it looked tired and a bit sinister. However, walking along the promenade was a pleasant enough way to spend the morning.

Brean

The next day we headed over to Brean, a unique little place with a population of just 635. During peak holiday times, most of Brean’s population is made up by holidaymakers. Along every inch of Brean’s coastal road, there are endless holiday camps and caravan sites!

A little like Burnham, there is very little to see or do in Brean. It’s most famous attraction is Brean Leisure Park. Marketing itself as ‘The South West’s Ultimate Family Day Out!’, sadly, it was closed while we were there and presumably only opens during peak tourist season. 

The coastal towns in Somerset are such a unique part of the UK’s coastline. The beaches are nothing like those on the UK’s south coast. If you’re expecting beautiful, soft, sandy beaches, think again. The beaches in Somerset are much firmer, perfect for making sandcastles or for walking along. As long as you stay away from the sinking mud! The sand is so compact in Brean, that they use the beaches as car parks! Although I have to say this made the environmentalist in me scream! The sand was so firm, we even managed to get my brothers wheelchair onto the beach!

Weston-super-Mare

The following day, I’d arranged to meet up with a client who lives in Weston-super-Mare. After lunch with her, I made my way to the beach to meet back up with my family. 

I mentioned in my blog post about Cheddar Gorge that I had been to Somerset once before. That first visit will be etched in my memory forever for one reason only…eating hot sugary doughnuts at the end of the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare in the pouring rain! Naturally, we had to go back and recreate that memory. The doughnuts were just as good as I remembered! Although this time, we were fortunate to be eating them on a beautiful sunny afternoon and not in the pouring rain.  

I didn’t get much time to explore Weston-super-Mare, but I saw enough to know I’d love to go back and explore some more.

Whilst we mostly stuck to the coastal resorts on our trip, there is much more to see in Somerset. I can’t wait to go back and explore more of the area in the future.

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