Somerset Landscape Character Assessment

Much of Somerset is a rural, agricultural landscape, with scattered small towns, villages, hamlets and farms connected by a network of roads and lanes. Larger settlements are mainly located along the M5 and include Bridgwater, Taunton, Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea. Yeovil and Frome also form key settlements in the south and north-east of Somerset, respectively. Expansion of the national road network has seen the development of the M5, which passes on a north-south alignment through the west of Somerset. The accessibility provided by the motorway has attracted significant areas of commercial and industrial development, particularly around the edges of Highbridge and Bridgwater. Other key roads include the A303, which passes broadly on a west-east alignment through the south of Somerset, and the A37, which follows sections of the historic Fosse Way (a Roman road) broadly passing on a north-south alignment from the south of Somerset towards the Mendip Hills.

Renewable energy development within Somerset includes a number of solar farms, mainly focused within the lower-lying and flat landscape of the levels, across the gentle terrain of river valleys and on areas of south-facing slopes of the Vale of Taunton. Hinkley Point (a nuclear power station) forms an evident influence along the coastline west of Bridgwater Bay. Numerous overhead lines radiate from the power station, including the Hinkley Point C connection which passes on new T-pylons.

Away from the settlements and main roads, many parts of the district enjoy high levels of tranquillity. The areas of highest tranquillity are concentrated in the north-west, within the Quantock Hills National Landscape and the near the edges of Exmoor National Park. Other areas with a strong sense of rural tranquillity include the interior of the moors, areas of wooded escarpments on the fringes of the Blackdown Hills National Landscape in the south-west, and the edges of the Cranborne Chase National Landscape in the east.

Levels of light pollution and dark night skies within Somerset can be viewed on the Interactive Map. Light pollution decreases with distance from the main settlements and trunk roads. Although much of Somerset is affected by light pollution, there are notable areas that are free from the interference of artificial light near Exmoor National Park and Quantock Hills National Landscape in the west, within the River Brue and River Cary valleys, parts of the rural landscape in the south-east of Somerset, the interior of the moors, parts of the Mendip Hills and the western fringes of the Cranborne Chase National Landscape.

A number of recreational routes offer opportunities to experience Somerset’s rural landscape. This includes sections of the King Charles III England Coast Path National Trail, and the Coleridge Way, Colliers Way, Macmillan Way, Macmillan Way West, Leland Trail, Mendip Way, Castles and Coast Way and River Parrett Trail long-distance walking routes. Networks of interconnected public rights of way (PRoW) are generally focused near settlements. Areas of open access land are focused within the Quantock Hills and Mendip Hills National Landscapes. Nature reserves, including those at Shapwick Heath, Avalon Marshes and Steart Marshes, host visitor facilities and offer opportunities to experience wildlife. Beaches and Brean Down, along the coast, also form popular recreational destinations.