Self-guided holidays : Self-guided short break walking holidays : Rural retreats
The Quantock Hills
Situated in West Somerset, to the east of the Exmoor National Park and to the west of the Blackdown Hills, lie the Quantock Hills - one of Britain's best-kept secrets, and the first part of England to be designated as an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'.
The lower flanks of the twelve mile long whaleback ridge which forms the backbone of the Quantocks are cloaked in delightful broad-leafed woodland, and rising above the trees is an exhilarating expanse of open hillside. The views from the ridge are tremendous - in the middle distance a quintessentially English patchwork landscape of green and gold, and beyond the silhouettes of shapely hills. From Will's Neck, at 1260ft the highest point on the Quantocks, a 360° panorama opens up, with the Brendon Hills and Exmoor to the west, the Bristol Channel coast and the hills of South Wales to the north, the Mendip Hills and Somerset Levels to the east and the Blackdown Hills to the south. The sense of freedom is palpable.
The steep flanks below the broad ridge are punctuated by picturesque combes - fingers of cool green woodland which reach up from the valley and provide hidden routes from the unspoilt villages which nestle at the base of the hills to the airy hill tops. Babbling, crystal-clear brooks rush down through the combes and the footpaths cross and re-cross the streams amidst beech trees and holly bushes which are alive with song birds.
During the spring bluebells cloak the woodland floor and during high summer the ridge is bright with purple heather and golden gorse. In October and November autumn colours abound and in midwinter the holly is in full berry. The wonderful diversity of wildlife includes buzzards, kestrels, a variety of ground nesting birds and herds of native red deer.
Your walks will sample every type of landscape that this walkers' paradise has to offer - open hillsides, dappled woodlands, sunny hollows and, where the northern tip of the ridge dips down to meet the sea on the shores of Bridgwater Bay, some superb coastal walking near East Quantoxhead. Other highlights of the tour will include the panoramic views from Will’s Neck, a wonderful avenue of beeches above Triscombe, the charming villages of Bicknoller and West Bagborough, and the cool wooded descent through Hodder’s Combe and, at the end of the day, the sight of Stella’s Tearoom!
You will stay at Combe House Country Hotel in Holford, a grade 1 listed building which was formerly a water mill. The hotel stands in four acres of attractive gardens which contain not only many beautiful and unusual trees and shrubs but also a productive organic kitchen garden which provides fresh vegetables and fruit for the hotel restaurant. The restaurant, which has been awarded an AA Rosette serves excellent food and the chef prides himself on making good use of the wonderful food available locally. The well appointed bedrooms offer high standard of comfort and the hotel has a heated indoor swimming pool, tennis court and croquet lawn.
Holiday options
| Code: SBQUA |
| Nights: 3 |
| Price: £395 |
- All of the above prices are per person, and based upon two guests sharing a double or twin-bedded room.
- Single traveller supplement; £180
(More about single supplement). - Discounts available for parties of three or more guests.
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