Taunton
Taunton is the County Town of Somerset, a County in the South-West of England.
Get in
By road, leave the M5 motorway at exit 25. Taunton has a railway station on the main line from London Paddington (typical journey time 2h 05) to Exeter (25 minutes), Plymouth (1h 30), and Penzance (3h 40). Bristol is 35 minutes away by rail. The nearest airports are at Bristol, to the north-west and Exeter, to the south-west, both about 35 miles away.
Get around
Traffic in Taunton is awful. A park and ride service has been added recently (The Taunton Flyer), see National Park and Ride Directory providing transport between the town centre and a large car park at Silk Mills.
Arguably 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 - All day ticket for town travel purchased in peak time is £3.40 (correct at 01/05/06). Buses link to Wellington, Bridgwater, Yeovil, Exeter, and Chard.
By train
- First Great Western operate direct trains to London Paddington and to Worcester and Great Malvern.
- Virgin Trains operate services from Taunton to Birmingham, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Preston, and Glasgow.
- Both companies run direct trains to Bristol and Cheltenham Spa, Exeter, Paignton, Plymouth, and Penzance.
- For train times, see National Rail Enquiries.
See
- Museum of Somerset, Castle Green, TA1 4AA, ☏ +44 1823 255088, county-museums@somerset.gov.uk. Tu-Sa and Bank Holiday M 10AM-5PM.
- Brewhouse Theatre Coal Orchard. Profesional and Community Theatre. +44 1823 283244
- 1 Somerset Cricket Museum, 7 Priory Ave, ☏ +44 1823 275893. 11 am to 3.30pm Tue- Fri Apr - Oct (phone if travelling). Small volunteer run museum about Cricket. £1.
Do
- Racing at Taunton, ☏ +44 1823 325035, info@tauntonracecourse.co.uk. Orchard Portman.
Buy
Eat
- Castle Hotel, ☏ +44 1823 272671. Has a national reputation for cooking excellence, although the prices and formality reflect its notoriety.
All of the major fast food chains are represented, including two branches of both Subway and McDonalds. The town also boasts a range of coffee shops, including the major chains Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero.
Restaurants include:
- Pizza Express
- Brazz (separate restaurant attached to the Castle Hotel)
- Jenny @ Tristrams (East Reach)
- The Old Bear (Near Police Station)
- Malt and Hops (Pub with good food - Tancred St)
- Uddins (East Reach - Several Awards for its Currys)
- Willow Tree. Restaurant (cozy, award-winning, restaurant with superb food)
Drink
Sleep
- Castle Hotel. Castle Green. rooms from £115
- Corner House Hotel, 4 Wellington Rd, ☏ +44 1823 284683. Rooms from £58.
- Holiday Inn Taunton, Deane Gate Avenue, +44 870 400 9080.
- Crowcombe YHA. 10 miles from Taunton. £10.60 adult, £7.20 under 18,
Go next
- West Somerset Railway[1], run by volunteers. Recapture the age of steam.
- Glastonbury, a place of pilgrimage, [2].