Somerset

Somerset is set in the West of England in a region known as the West Country. It is a rural area with miles of unspoilt countryside and some of the best beaches in the U.K. The 'Sumorsaete' recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle means 'the people of the summer lands'. The Welsh/Celts, who were here before the Saxons, called it Gwlad yr haf, which means 'land of summer'. So the Saxons invading these parts in the later 7th century described the area as the native Celts described it before them. It is a land that came into its own in the summer and the name of Somerton and eventually Somerset seem apt.

For the visitor, Somerset offers beauty, legend, mystery and atmosphere all its own. The Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty lies in West Somerset. It is famous for its large population of red deer and for its close associations with the romantic poets; Coleridge and Wordsworth lived on the eastern edge of the hills and were clearly inspired by the beauty that surrounded them. The area contains not only open moorland but also steep sided valleys, a spectacular coastline and enclosed farmland.

English Heritage has recently started a survey of the historic environment of the Quantock Hills. Through the survey of the open commons, they are beginning to unearth all kinds of archaeological sites. Bronze Age burial mounds are the most obvious features, like the large cairns on the summit of Beacon Hill, which form part of an impressive string of cairns along the Western edge of the Quantock Hills. A closer look reveals that a large portion of this land has been enclosed and ploughed, probably in the early post-medieval period. Some of these discoveries are totally unexpected, like the 'pillow mounds' (artificial rabbit warrens, shaped like pillows) on Beacon Hill. Other circular earthworks are not prehistoric burial monuments, but ornamental tree-ring enclosures of 19th-century date. This fascinating area gives up something new from its past regularly and is well worth exploring – you never know what you might stumble across!