Tr avel report SOMERSET
The offset front windows and interior pitched ceiling afforded a real sense of space, whether you were in the living room – which includes a large dining table – or the kitchen which comes with all mod cons. With room to sleep six, our three bedrooms were supremely well furnished with plenty of places to keep clutter out of sight.
In the kitchen, using the dishwasher, microwave and oven were child’s play, while the two showers were equally straightforward.
Best of all, having plenty of bright lights in both the living quarters and bedrooms made reading a joy, not an eye-straining chore.
If the beds were on the soft side compared with home, they were far superior to the average caravan.
Despite some freezing mornings outside, the Portland was always wonderfully cosy on the inside – while the outdoor table and chairs on the verandah had summertime written all over them.
Our lodge was at the popular Unity Holiday Park next to Brean (off the M5 at Junction 22). The sea is just 200m walk away or you can even drive your car on to the beach itself.
The coastline also features a natural ‘pier’ in the form of the National Trust’s Brean Down where a hike will certainly freshen you up at any time of the year.
The site’s amusement park wasn’t open during our winter break, but it looks to be a quality facility that families with young children will certainly enjoy.
We made several visits to the on-site club, where tea-time party games for children are followed by mid-evening entertainers either singing for a living or playing a trick or two on families.
The food and drink would have been better remembered if the one night I’d opted for a steak it had been chewable.
We had more luck at the beachside JD Wetherspoon pub in nearby Burnham-on-Sea. In between there and Brean there’s a well-stocked small Co-op to make life easier if you’re self-catering as the on-site Costcutter doesn’t sell all the staples.
Having had several Somerset holidays in recent years we were already familiar with such lovely places to visit, such as Minehead and its steam railway, Taunton and the Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole caves. We re-acquainted ourselves with Weston-super-Mare’s seafront and Grand Pier, which have both been upgraded in recent years and discovered that just two minutes’ walk away from the vast, uncrowded beach, the town now has a brand new state-of-the art Cineworld Cinema.
We enjoyed two lovely days inland, too – beginning with Wells where the 1175 cathedral at the heart of England’s smallest city is an architectural marvel and the central shopping street a delight to wander down.
Glastonbury is less picturesque but doesn’t have any high street coffee chains. We couldn’t resist having lunch in The George Hotel and Pilgrims’ Inn, an atmospheric 14th century hostelry where it was heartening to discover they know how to make decent chips.