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Wells Cathedral, Wells

Companionship careSomerset

Days out in Somerset for an older parent

Nine places in Somerset that make a good day out for an older parent, from Wells Cathedral to Cheddar Gorge. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated September 2026

Wells Cathedral. Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0

Nine days out across seven towns

The best places to take an older parent in Somerset

One of them is free to visit or to walk around. The access information for one describes a step-free route, and two confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Wells Cathedral, Wells

Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cathedral · Wells

Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral is one of the great medieval cathedrals of England, known for its carved West Front, the unusual scissor arches in the nave and a 14th-century astronomical clock. The worn steps up to the Chapter House are among the most photographed in the country.

The nave is reached from the West Cloister by a ramp with a handrail, there is level access from the visitor entrance, and guided tours can be adapted for wheelchair users.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Check prices

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Wells

The Bishop's Palace, Wells

Photo: Edwin Graham, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Garden · Wells

The Bishop's Palace

The Bishop's Palace in Wells has been home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for over 800 years, surrounded by a moat where swans ring a bell for food. Inside the walls are gardens, the wells that gave the city its name and the Bishop's Table café.

Paths are wide and level throughout, there is a wheelchair-accessible lift, accessible toilets, a mobility scooter and wheelchair to hire, and three Blue Badge spaces that can be booked 48 hours ahead.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Wells

Glastonbury Abbey, Glastonbury

Photo: Steve Slater, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Day out · Glastonbury

Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury Abbey is the ruin of one of the richest monasteries in medieval England, set in 36 acres of parkland in the middle of the town and linked to the legend of King Arthur. The Abbot's Kitchen survives complete, and there is a museum, orchards and a café.

Wide gravel paths suitable for wheelchairs run through the grounds with benches throughout, and the entrance, admissions, café and shop are all at ground level without steps.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Glastonbury

Hestercombe Gardens, Taunton

Photo: xlibber, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Garden · Taunton

Hestercombe Gardens

Hestercombe, just north of Taunton, has 50 acres of gardens from three centuries, including a Georgian landscape garden and a formal Edwardian garden by Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens. The house holds a gallery, a second-hand bookshop and a café.

Wheelchairs can be borrowed free for the smoother paths, a Tramper can be booked, and the guide map marks routes suitable for wheelchairs and scooters.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Taunton

RSPB Ham Wall, Glastonbury

Photo: Celuici, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Glastonbury

RSPB Ham Wall

Ham Wall is a large RSPB wetland reserve on the Somerset Levels near Glastonbury, made from old peat workings, with reedbeds where bitterns boom in spring and huge starling murmurations gather on winter evenings. Views stretch across to Glastonbury Tor.

The main track, the Reedbed Trail, Waltons Screens and Tor View Hide are wheelchair accessible, with Blue Badge spaces in the car park and more close to the viewing platforms.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Check prices

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Glastonbury

Royal Navy Museum, Naval Aviation, Yeovilton

Photo: Andrew and Annemarie, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Yeovilton

Royal Navy Museum, Naval Aviation

The Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton near Yeovil holds Europe's largest collection of naval aircraft, from early biplanes to jets and helicopters. You can also walk through the first British Concorde and a recreated aircraft carrier flight deck.

About 95 per cent of the museum is accessible to wheelchair users, lifts reach most first-floor exhibits, parking is free with 15 disabled spaces, and carers go free, though wheelchairs are not provided.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry, carers free, free parking

What their access information confirms

  • Blue Badge parking

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Yeovilton

Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford

Photo: JorgeMiguel17, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Sparkford

Haynes Motor Museum

Haynes Motor Museum at Sparkford, between Castle Cary and Yeovil, has hundreds of cars and motorcycles from the earliest days of motoring to modern supercars. There are talks, guided tours, a café and a museum shop.

The museum is indoors on one site with a café, so it suits a wet day and a carer can plan a route around the halls that interest them most.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Sparkford

Dunster Castle, Minehead

Photo: Haxxah and KraZug, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Castle · Minehead

Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle stands on a wooded hill above the medieval village of Dunster near Minehead, with a working watermill, riverside gardens and views to the Bristol Channel. The National Trust cares for the castle and grounds.

The castle is on a steep hill, so a carer should check the National Trust access details and may prefer the riverside garden and the village below.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Minehead

Cheddar Gorge, Cheddar

Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Cheddar

Cheddar Gorge

Cheddar Gorge is Britain's biggest gorge, with limestone cliffs up to 137 metres high above the village of Cheddar, and show caves including Gough's Cave where Cheddar Man was found. The road through the gorge gives the views even from a car.

Driving up the gorge road shows off the cliffs without any walking, and the village at the bottom has cafés and shops for a sit-down.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free outside, paid inside

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Cheddar

Regular groups and events in Somerset

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in Somerset.

  • Dancing · TauntonWeekly social dancing at the Lawns Social ClubA members' social club in Taunton with weekly barn dance, ceilidh and country dancing sessions alongside other entertainment. A carer can handle the transport and sit in for the evening, so someone can join in for a dance or two and sit out the rest.Details
  • Photography · GlastonburyWinter starling murmurations on the Avalon MarshesFrom November to late February huge flocks of starlings gather over the Avalon Marshes reedbeds at dusk, best seen in the last hour of light. A carer can ring ahead or check the roost updates, arrive early for a parking space and bring a folding seat and warm layers for the wait.Details
  • PaintingSomerset Open StudiosA county-wide event run by Somerset Art Works in which artists open their working studios to visitors and talk about how they make their work. A carer can ring ahead to check which venues have step-free access and plan two or three that are close together.Details
  • Reading · WellsWells Festival of LiteratureAn eight day festival of author talks, literary lunches and competitions held in Wells each October, now running for nearly thirty years. A carer can book tickets early, arrange the parking and transport, and pick one or two afternoon events rather than a long day.Details
  • Sports · TauntonWalking football in TauntonA walking football club for players aged around 50 and over, playing outdoors on a 3G pitch on Sunday and Tuesday mornings at a low cost per session, with a free first session. A carer can drive someone there, help with boots and kit and stay for the tea afterwards.Details
  • Volunteering · MineheadVolunteering on the West Somerset RailwayThe heritage line between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead is run with the help of around 800 active volunteers, in roles from station duties and shops to operations, with training given. A carer can help with the application, then handle the journey to and from a station on duty days.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Somerset

At a glance

The nine places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Wells CathedralWellsan hour or twoCheck pricesPartlyAskAsk
The Bishop's PalaceWellshalf a dayPaid entryYesYesYes
Glastonbury AbbeyGlastonburyhalf a dayPaid entryPartlyAskYes
Hestercombe GardensTauntonhalf a dayPaid entryPartlyAskYes
RSPB Ham WallGlastonburyhalf a dayCheck pricesPartlyYesAsk
Royal Navy Museum, Naval AviationYeoviltonhalf a dayPaid entryAskAskAsk
Haynes Motor MuseumSparkfordhalf a dayPaid entryAskAskAsk
Dunster CastleMineheadhalf a dayPaid entryAskAskAsk
Cheddar GorgeCheddarhalf a dayFree outside, paid insideAskAskAsk

Where the places are in Somerset

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

DulvertonChardWincantonKiltonSomertonWellingtonFrome123456789
  1. 1Wells Cathedral, Wells
  2. 2The Bishop's Palace, Wells
  3. 3Glastonbury Abbey, Glastonbury
  4. 4Hestercombe Gardens, Taunton
  5. 5RSPB Ham Wall, Glastonbury
  6. 6Royal Navy Museum, Naval Aviation, Yeovilton
  7. 7Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford
  8. 8Dunster Castle, Minehead
  9. 9Cheddar Gorge, Cheddar

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Somerset

Carers in Somerset charge £19 to £24 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £20, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £80 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in Somerset has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Somerset

Wells Cathedral in Wells, The Bishop's Palace in Wells, Glastonbury Abbey in Glastonbury, Hestercombe Gardens in Taunton, RSPB Ham Wall in Glastonbury, Royal Navy Museum, Naval Aviation in Yeovilton, Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford, Dunster Castle in Minehead and Cheddar Gorge in Cheddar. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

The access information for The Bishop's Palace describes a step-free route. The Bishop's Palace and RSPB Ham Wall have an accessible toilet. The Bishop's Palace and Hestercombe Gardens lend wheelchairs. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

Cheddar Gorge (outside free, inside paid). Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 35 of the carers with a rate near Somerset drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £20 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Somerset shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of Somerset

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around Somerset

Days out in the areas around Somerset

Companionship care by town in Somerset

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in Somerset

See carers near Somerset who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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