Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, a county in the south-west of England. Taunton has several landmarks room its thousand-year history, and is famous for its cider.
Get in
By air
The nearest airports are at Bristol Airport (BRS IATA), to the north-west and Exeter Airport (EXT IATA), to the south-west, both about 35 mi (56 km) away.
By road
By road, leave the M5 motorway at exit 25. Taunton has a railway station on the main line from London Paddington (typical journey time 2 hr 5 min) to Exeter (25 min), Plymouth (1 hr 30 min), and Penzance (3 hr 40 min). Bristol is 35 min away by rail.
By train
1 Taunton station has many rail connections:
- First Great Western operate direct trains to London Paddington and to Worcester and Great Malvern.
- CrossCountry operate services to Taunton from Birmingham, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- Both companies run direct trains to Bristol and Cheltenham Spa, Exeter, Paignton, Plymouth, and Penzance.
- For train times, see National Rail Enquiries.
By bus
Buses link to Wellington, Bridgwater, Yeovil, Exeter, and Chard.
South West Falcon operates a service connecting Bristol, Taunton, Exeter and Plymouth. A single fare from Plymouth to Bristol is £28. Tickets can be booked online in advance, but reservations are not strictly required.
Get around
Traffic in Taunton is awful. A park and ride service (the Taunton Flyer) provides transport between the town centre and a large car park at Silk Mills.
The best options are to walk or take a bus. However, the bus and railway stations are a good 15 minutes' walk apart!
By bus
Buses are frequent during the week, but evenings and Sundays are very limited. Buses operated by Firstbus - They are expensive.
See
- 1 Museum of Somerset, Castle Green, TA1 4AA, ☏ +44 1823 255088, county-museums@somerset.gov.uk. Tu-Sa and Bank Holiday M 10AM-5PM. Volunteer-run museum of local history. Free, donations welcome.
- 2 Hestercombe House and Gardens. This is one of the finest examples of the world-renowned partnership between garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.
- 3 [formerly dead link] Somerset Cricket Museum, 7 Priory Ave, ☏ +44 1823 275893. Apr-Oct: Tu-F 11AM-3:30PM (phone if travelling). Small volunteer-run museum about cricket. £1.
Do
- 1 Brewhouse Theatre, Coal Orchard TA1 1JL, ☏ +44 1823 283244. Professional and community theatre.
- Cricket at 2 County Ground, St James St TA1 1JT (just east of river). Somerset CCC play in the First Division of the County Championship.
- 3 Taunton Racecourse, Orchard Portman TA3 7BL (B3170 two miles south of town), ☏ +44 1823 337172, info@tauntonracecourse.co.uk. Only in winter, as (unusually) this is solely a jumps course, with meetings every fortnight or so Oct-Mar. The course is near M5 but there's no junction with B3170, you need to exit at jcn 25 onto A358 west, then left onto Bridgewater Rd to zigzag around town.
- Rugby Union: Taunton Titans play in National League 1, the third tier. Their home ground is Veritas Park on Hyde Lane, two miles east of town centre.
Buy
- 1 Taunton Deane services. Taunton Deane services both northbound and southbound have a WH Smith that sell all kinds of supplies and souvenirs including wooden carvings, aluminium lettering and even Buddha statues.
- Farmers Market[dead link] is held on High St on Thursdays.
Eat
All of the major fast food chains are represented, including two branches each of Subway and McDonalds. The town has a range of coffee shops, including the major chains Starbucks, Costa and Caffè Nero.
- 1 Pizza Express, 20 Bridge Street, TA1 1UB, ☏ +44 1823 352245. Su-Th 11:30AM-10PM, F Sa 11:30AM-11PM.
- 2 @Tristans, 11 East Reach, TA1 3EW, ☏ +44 1823 332117. Tu-Th 6:30PM-midnight, F Sa 6PM-midnight, Su M closed.
- Castle Bow Restaurant, in Castle Hotel, see Sleep, ☏ +44 1823 272671. W-Sa 6:30-9PM. Has a national reputation for cooking excellence, although the prices and formality reflect its fame. The hotel also has Brazz (open daily, breakfast 8-10AM, lunch noon-3PM, dinner 6-9PM, two-course set menu £12). tasting menu £64, a la carte mains from £20.
- 3 [formerly dead link] Willow Tree, 3 Tower Lane, ☏ +44 1823-352835. Tu W F Sa from 6:30PM. Cozy restaurant with superb food, open only in the evening. from £28.
- The Skewer House, 41 Bridge Street TA1 1TP, ☏ +44 1823 335711. Traditional and authentic Portuguese food.
- 4 The Barn, opened in 2021, is on Pound Lane in Bishop's Lydeard 8 miles northwest of Taunton. It's modern British cuisine, served Th-Sa 12:00-23:00, W & Su 12:00-16:00.
Drink
- 1 The Perkin Warbeck, 22–23 East Street, TA1 3LP, ☏ +44 1823 335830. Su-Th 8AM-midnight, F 8AM-1AM, Sa 8AM-2AM. JD Wetherspoon's pub. Its name comes from the supposed heir to the throne who marched an army into Taunton and was executed at the castle.
- 2 The Coal Orchard, 30 Bridge St, TA1 1UD, ☏ +44 1823 447330. Su-Th 8AM-midnight, F Sa 8AM-1AM. JD Wetherspoon's pub.
- The Plough Inn, 75 Station Road,, ☏ +44 1823 324404.
Sleep
- 1 Holiday Inn Taunton, Deane Gate Avenue, ☏ +44 870 400 9080. There is also a Holiday Inn Express nearby.
- 2 Corner House Hotel, 4 Wellington Rd, ☏ +44 1823 284683. 45-room hotel spread over three buildings, but with no lift. Rooms from £61.
- 3 Castle Hotel, Castle Green TA1 4AD, ☏ +44 1823 272671. Upscale hotel, some rooms still need an overhaul. Often booked out for weddings. With good restaurant. B&B double from £180.
- 4 Middle Stone Farm Glamping, Brompton Ralph TA4 2RT, ☏ +44 1984 248443. Safari glamping tents on a working farm. Tent £120.
Connect
As of May 2022, Taunton has 5G from EE and Three, and 4G from O2 and Vodafone.
Go next
- West Somerset Railway, run by volunteers. Recapture the age of steam.
- Glastonbury, a place of pilgrimage, .
- Cheddar Caves and Gorge, .
| Routes through Taunton |
| Plymouth ← Tiverton ← | SW  NE |
→ Bridgwater → Bristol |