Somerset
Somerset is a truly rural county with varied scenery and some outstanding National Trust properties including Elizabethan Montacute House and Dunster Castle with its dramatic location and breathtaking views over Exmoor and the Bristol chanel. Tyntesfield, the extraordinary Gothic Revival house, saved for the nation by the Trust in 2002, stands in north Somerset.

Montacute
Montacute House is a glittering Elizabethan house built in gorgeous golden local stone to impress all visitors. It has some magnificent rooms; the most spectacular is the Long Gallery stretching from one end of the house to the other. The National Trust works in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and displays an outstanding collection of Elizabethan and Jacobean portrait from the National Portrait Gallery. The formal garden includes mixed borders, old roses and interesting topiary and is surrounded by a landscape park. The wider estate encompasses St Michael’s Hill, site of a Norman castle, topped with an 18th-century lookout tower. Holiday Cottage guests have free access to Montacute House and gardens during opening hours.

National places nearby: Barrington Court. Shop and pub: shop in Martock and Somerton, pub in Montacute and Somerton. Tea-room/café/restaurant: tea-room at Montacute. Railway station: Yeovil. Other attractions: Bath and West Showground popular venue for antique fairs, agricultural and garden shows. Activities: walking, fishing, horse riding.

Ordnance Survey Landranger Map 193