Riding through bluebells in the Blackdown Hills
Our American barn, indoor round pen, turn-out area
Lyme Regis & the Jurassic Coast is only 20 miles
Montacute House

Local Attractions

  • Lyme Regis & the Jurassic Coast, 20 mls
  • Exmoor, Dunster, north Devon & Somerset coastline, 20-25 mls
  • Forde Abbey, 12 mls
  • Montacute House, 17 mls
  • Glastonbury, 22 mls. Wells Cathedral, 29 mls
  • Exeter, 32 mls. Dartmoor, 50 mils
  • Bath, 50 mls
  • Shopping centre, Taunton, 6 mls.
  • Pubs to eat: Greyhound Inn, 1 ml. Candlelight Inn, 5 mls

DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA

Blackdown Hills Barn is located on the slopes below Castle Neroche, once an Iron Age hill fort & later a simple Norman motte & bailey castle, where you can get fabulous views over the Taunton Vale to the Quantocks and Mendip Hills. We are in the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which forms a tranquil, beautiful and relatively isolated landscape on the Devon & Somerset border. Steep ridges, high plateaux, valleys and woodlands create a stunning mosaic dotted with farms, villages and ancient features. Walk or ride directly onto quiet country lanes and off road trails, including the 13.5-mile circular Herepath Trail.
You are within easy reach of Exmoor, the coastline of north Devon & Somerset with beauty spots like Linton, Lynmouth & Porlock, and the East Devon & Dorset coast with Lyme Regis, Sidmouth & Beer. Historic towns, cathedrals & country houses nearby include Glastonbury, Wells, Bath, Exeter, Montacute House, Dunster Castle, Knightshayes Court and Forde Abbey.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO DURING YOUR STAY

Castle Neroche & Herepath Trails

Summerleaze sits below Castle Neroche, a Norman motte-and-bailey castle on the site of an earlier Iron Age hillfort dating back 2,600 years. A viewpoint offers you spectacular views over the Vale of Taunton to the Quantocks & Exmoor. Staple Fitzpaine Herepath is on our doorstep and is a 13.7 mile circular trail for walkers, horse-riders & cyclists. Herepaths were originally "people's paths", important trade & communications routes between settlements. The site describes several other trails.

http://www.nerochescheme.org

Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site

Just 20 miles south east from Summerleaze is the JURASSIC COAST of DORSET & EAST DEVON, stretching 95 miles from Exmouth in the west, via the attractive seaside towns, villages & beaches of Sidmouth, Beer, Branscombe, Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Abbotsbury, Portland & Weymouth. The SOUTH WEST COAST PATH National Trail runs the full length, offering stunning views, sheer cliff faces, strange rock formations, and geology showcasing Earth's history over the last 250 million yeras.

http://www.jurassiccoast.com

Dunster - Castle & medieval village

DUNSTER is a medieval village with an 11th century CASTLE, just 20 miles north of Summerleaze. The castle, a National Trust property, is sited on a wooded hill and offers breathtaking views across Exmoor and the Bristol Channel. Picturesque Dunster vilage has a wealth of historic buildings, incluidng the Old Yarn Market, lots of quality shopping, restaurants, pubs & tearooms. Dunster is a great gatway for exploring EXMOOR, and, just 2 miles from Minehead, for exploring the SOMERSET COASTLINE.

http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk/dunster.html

Montacute House

Montacute House, just 17 miles east of Summerleaze, is one of the finest to survive from the Elizabethen era.The 3 storied mansion, constructed from honey-coloured local Ham Hill stone, has the longest Long Gallery in England, displaying over 60 of the finest Tudor & Elizabethan portraits from the NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY collection. Montacute's formal gardens are wonderful and waymarked walks lead around the parkland & estate. Other places to visit nearby are BARRINGTON COURT & FORDE ABBEY.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-montacute