An Inspector calls… at the family-run Combe House Hotel in Somerset, which has warm, cosy rooms and dazzling country views Combe House Hotel is a 17-room property in Somerset’s Quantock Hills The hotel is inside an old mill and the 26ft-diameter waterwheel is still in place The Inspector was impressed with his £89 room and the … Read more
From lockdown to lock-in: An entire 17th-century PUB with a fully operational bar is available to rent on Airbnb The 17th century Fitzhead Inn, in the tiny Somerset village of Fitzhead, has five en-suite rooms But the most eye-catching feature is the bar – where guests can pull their own pints of beer The pub … Read more
A single super-spreader forced a pub, a vape bar and an Indian restaurant to close after he went out drinking before later discovering he had tested positive for Covid-19. The mystery drinker visited The Lighthouse Inn in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, before heading to Vape Escape during his bar crawl on Saturday, locals have claimed. A driver from takeaway … Read more
Plane-ly amazing! The 1950s nuclear strike aircraft that’s been converted into a boutique Airbnb lodge, with a double bed in the cockpit The converted 1950s English Electric Canberra bomber affords superb views over the Somerset countryside It has a double bed in the cockpit, where guests can gaze through the window at the night’s sky … Read more
A high-flying London couple have spent lockdown living in a treehouse in the Somerset countryside – and say they’re happier than ever. Rebecca Harper, 31, and Sam Harper, 32, from Fulham, London escaped to the woodland treehouse in the grounds of Sam’s father’s and step-mother’s house in East Harptree, Somerset in mid-March, just over a … Read more
Plain-clothed police are sent out on bikes with cameras to record unsuspecting motorists driving badly Plain-clothed officers use £500 cameras to catch out bad drivers in Somerset Police say it will be ‘sow the seeds’ of doubt in drivers so they take greater care Footage taken by cycling officers will be shared on social media, … Read more
NHS hospital in Somerset shuts A&E and stops taking new patients because of surge in Covid-19 cases Weston General Hospital has stopped taking patients from today It said the move was ‘precautionary’ but did not reveal any more details It’s not clear why it has seen an influx of COVID-19 patients Here’s how to help … Read more
See Britain at its most enchanting: Photographer moved to the UK with his family – and took these incredible pictures as they explored their new home The stunning pictures have been taken by Romanian Aurel Paduraru, who moved to the UK last year The counties he’s explored so far include Gloucestershire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Pembrokeshire He … Read more
NATURE GREENERY: JOURNEYS IN SPRINGTIME by Tim Dee (Jonathan Cape £18.99, 355pp) One of the most joyous sights of spring is the return of the swallows, swooping and diving in the air, their forked tails slicing through the sky. Few of us give much thought to the journey that brings them back to Britain each year. … Read more