Walking in Somerset

The 43 walks in this guidebook explore the Somerset countryside and are all between 3 and 12 miles, with gentle rambles to strenuous hikes on Exmoor, the Quantocks, Brendons, Mendips and the pastoral lowlands. Plus details of some 20 long-distance routes.

Somerset, with its moors and pastoral landscapes, and its wealth of vernacular architecture in its market towns and villages, is one of England's glories. This is a guide to circular walks of between 3 and 12 miles, varying from strenuous hikes on Exmoor and the Quantocks to gentle rambles in the lowlands - most of which include at least one pub. There is full information on many long-distance paths and on accommodation for every walk. Many of the walks can be adjusted in length to suit every level of fitness or inclination.

The county has been the scene of some of England's most significant historic events - battles of the Anglo-Saxon Conquest linked with Arthurian legend, the struggle against the Viking invasion and the last battle to be fought in England, the Battle of Sedgemoor. There is a wealth of information with particular reference to local history and literary heritage, including Blackmore's Lorna Doone, Thomas Hardy, Henry Fielding, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, Robert Southey, Jane Austen, Evelyn and Auberon Waugh and others.