Animals and Nature

Home to the lords of the manor of Clevedon for centuries, the core of the house is a remarkable survival from the medieval period.

Discover the heights of Somerset's famous Cheddar Gorge

As a county rich in wildlife, Somerset unsurprisingly has a huge number of nature reserves. These are great places to visit. Most are open all year and many allow dogs. With such a diverse landscape, Somerset’s reserves encompass meadows, cliffs, hills, downs, woods, waterways and wetlands.
Somerset Wildlife Trust looks after 70 of the County’s reserves and they are listed on its website: www.somersetwildlife.org along with a range of events throughout year organised by the Trust.

Nature reserve in Somerset near Bridgwater, wildlife, otter, deer and hares as well as birds.
One of the country’s largest new wetland reserves lies to the east of Hinkley Point, created by the Environment Agency to defend villages inland as sea levels rise. Managed by The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT), Steart Marshes have the added benefit of providing rare saltmarsh habitat and attracting wildlife. Since its completion, avocets have bred on the reserve and it has been visited by glossy ibis, spoonbill and ringed plover. Water voles and otters are resident as are the cattle and sheep that graze there. A network of paths lead you round the reserve, to the River Parrett and Combwich village.

Internationally famous as a haven for birdwatchers in particular, Somerset Wildlife Trust’s main site on the Peat Moors covers more than 100 hectares.