Top Five Restaurants

1. The Old Spot Restaurant, Market Place, Wells. Ian provides some of the best local food we have ever eaten in this area. In fact we like it so much we hired the whole restaurant for husbands recent “big birthday”! It must be good as we have eaten along side Rick Stein and Simon Hopkinson. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, the view is of the magnificent West Front of Wells Cathedral. Anastasia and her team look after your every need. Fixed price menu (that changes every day) for both lunch and dinner provides excellent value for money. The wine list is amazing too – my advice “take a taxi”.

2. The Moody Goose, The Priory, Midsomer Norton. An odd place to find a wonderful “special occasion” restaurant. The feel is slightly more upmarket and starchy than the Old Spot but the food is amazing! Midsomer Norton is an old Somerset mining town and The Moody Goose is tucked neatly away behind the church in the centre of the town.

3. Goodfellows Restaurant, The Market Place, Wells. Adam provides a warm welcome to the Sadler Street Café and Goodfellows Restaurant. Specialising in seafood. I think one of our recent guests put it extremely well “bordering on pretentious but the food was more than worth it”. An excellent wine list also available.

4. Bordeaux Quay, situated on the bustling Bristol water front, the atmosphere is young and lively. Excellent food in either the bistro or restaurant, with a wonderful deli attached.

5. Komedia Canteen, 22-23 Westgate Street, Bath. Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall needs little introduction. The Canteen continues his passion for tasty affordable local seasonal food. Located in the old Odeon Cinema its airy with a menu changing daily. If you are in the mood for a great night out visit the Komedia Club next door for fantastic fun!

Top Five Pubs

1. The Pony and Trap, Newtown, Chew Magna. (approximately 15 minutes away). The Valley’s own Michelin Starred Restaurant. Booking in advance a must. The pub is small and intimate with an excellent menu and very good service. Not at all pretentious!

2. The Wookey Hole Inn, Wookey Hole, Wells. (travelling time 15 minutes). Situated opposite the famous Wookey Hole Caves this slightly wacky pub is locally famous for celebrity spotting with the likes of Jonathan Ross, Jerry Hall and Fern Cotton to name but a few. The food is again locally sourced and well produced. Various festivals happen throughout the year. Booking for the evening in advance is required. Fantastic place to stop for lunch if you fancy the Bluebell Cottage to Wells expedition through Ebbor Gorge.

3. The Ye Olde Kings Arms, Litton. (one mile away/5 minutes). Our local 15th Century coaching inn. Situated on the River Chew this lovely large, contemporary restaurant pub has one of the only wood burning pizza ovens in the area. Summer bar-b-ques in the garden are a must! All the food is locally produced, unpretentious and traditional. Stunning surroundings and gardens with great beer. Walkable – down hill on the way there and uphill on the way back!

4. Waldegrave Arms, East Harptree. (3 miles away, 5 minutes drive and 40 minutes walk – taking in breathtaking scenery). The best Sunday Lunch locally. Traditional pub, unpretentious with loud swirly carpets. Very traditional with a warm welcome.

5. The Pelican, Chew Magna. (15 minutes away by car). Great traditional English food – Liver and Bacon a must!

Top Five Free Activities

1. Wells has a local market on Wednesday and Saturday. The Wednesday market provides dozens of local food producers ranging from Trout to Chocolate Eclairs. The range of foods available is fabulous. Most of the breakfast delights served in Bluebell are purchased from the market stallholders.

A must for real foodies and a great example of the best of the West. Saturday market is a little more tourist based but still consists of great local foods.

2. Borrow our high voltage torches and go on a moonlit nature trail. Alternatively just open your front door at dusk and watch the barn owls swoop across the lawn. Donna will advise you on the best places to spot Badgers (there are a number of sets surrounding Bluebell Cottage). Deer can regularly be seen in the garden and surrounding fields first thing in the morning. Star gaze in an unpolluted night sky. Many of the magnificent meteor showers can clearly be seen streaking across the night sky.

3. Take a walk around Velvet Bottom. The first Roman Settlement with original Roman lead mines still visable. The Romans invaded Britain with the sole intention of taking the lead from this protected area, their dominance spread from here. There is a real sense of atmosphere where the imagination can run wild. The Wells Museum (free entry) gives a full detailed history of the surrounding area.

4. Wander around the enigmatic Glastonbury (15 mins away). Sample the witches shops with their potions and spells, walk the famous Glastonbury Tor or wander through the beautiful Abbey. The sense of history is everywhere! From here take a short journey to Mudgeley the home of Wilkins Cider and Cheese farm. Cider is traditionally made in large oak vats and tastings are free. Wilkins farm also makes the best Cheddar cheese in the area both unpasturised and pasturised are available to taste - free.

5. Walk to the local village church. The famous Somerset Tower is one of only five in the district and built in 1545 stands proud in the local landscape. Mary Magadalen Church is one of the biggest and most important churches outside Wells. From here walk to the local village store Lynda’s Loaf where there are daily exhibitions of artisan bread making and tastings of their wonderful produce. You never know who you are going to bump into. I bumped into Noel Edmonds on Saturday buying up the shop!

Five Most Romantic Things to See and Do

1. Thermae Bath Spa:  Take a Twilight swim in the natural hot springs generated from the local stone since roman times. The roof top pool overlooks the Georgian splendor of Bath. Twilight bookings are available in advance but, it does mean you share this amazing experience with few other people avoiding the daytime crowds. Take a walk through the nighttime lit streets and make the most of the fantastic bars and restaurants.

2. Visit the harbourside in Bristol and dine in one of the numerous award winning restaurants on the quayside.  Take the ferry ride under Isabard Kingdom Brunels famous Clifton Suspension Bridge by moonlight.

3. Take the “High Places Tour” of Wells Cathedral (pre-booking essential) and marvel at the construction and views from this amazing tour.  You will need to be active as there are over 250 stone steps to climb but its well worth the effort.  Top it off with lunch in the magnificent new extension restaurant.

4. Pre-order a picnic hamper from Donna and hire bikes from www.fennycastle.co.uk and cycle the highways and byways of the Somerset Levels, play tennis or take high tea in the funky surroundings of the unusual tea rooms (tea rooms is probably not the right word for this unique environment).  In spring/autumn watch the magnificent starling displays that have made this area unique.

5. Book into one of the numerous festivals in the area from the Bath Literary Festival, Glastonbury Music Extravaganza, the Chewton Mendip Festival of Art, Music and Flowers, Cider Festival, Bath German Christmas Market to the Worlds biggest Music Festival – Glastonbury and truly embrace all this area has to offer.

Wells Luncheon Posts

The Good Earth, Bottom of the High Street. Fantastic vegetarian cuisine with a wide selection and fantastic cakes.

The Wells Cathedral Restaurant, Wells Cathedral. Lovely location in the new extension to the Cathedral.  Great lunchtime light meals menu with something for everyone.  Busy, bustling and lovely and light.

Cook Shop, High Street, Wells.  Fancy some home cooking without all the fuss.  Pick up great value meals and bring them home to heat up in private.  Fantastic selection.

Fenny Castle Tea Rooms, Fenny Castle, Wells.  A tea rooms with a BIG difference.  Located on the stunning Levels the tea rooms provides excellent lunchtime menus in a rural setting.  Leave the car for a while and take a walk along the River Shepey or if you have completely over indulged hire a bike for three hours and work off the fantastic scone with clotted cream and jam.

Stable Tea Rooms, New Manor Farm, Bishop Sutton.  Coupled together with one of the best farm shops in the area, this tea room is traditional in appearance and fare.  Situated adjacent to Chew Valley Lake it’s a wonderful location for a afternoon.