Living in Somerset
There is a great deal of choice where to live with so many beautiful and accessible Somerset villages and market towns to choose from. Picture book thatched cottages, mellow ham stone houses in South Somerset or, the blue lias stone houses of the Mendips.
Average house prices across Somerset (Land Registry Figures) for 2006:
Detached: £280,239
Semi-detached: £170,087
Terraced: £148,074
Flat: £115,396
Raising Families in Somerset
Childcare supports families in balancing work/life commitments and enables more adults to work. Increasing the levels of registered childcare across the county, particularly in disadvantaged areas is a key priority of Somerset County Council's Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, supporting working parents and helping community regeneration. Integrated early education and childcare is being developed in disadvantaged areas through the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative, working towards a target of 14 places per 100 children.
A Great Quality of Life
Somerset has some of the most diverse landscapes in the British Isles, from the remote uplands of Exmoor to nationally designated areas of outstanding natural beauty such as the Quantock, Blackdown and Mendip Hills and world-renowned 'wetlands'. The beautiful coastline complements the rolling landscape of south Somerset.
With such a varied and beautiful landscape, it's not surprising that Somerset has provided the settings for many films, such as 'Land Girls', 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' and 'Chocolat'.
Recent surveys have established that the majority of Somerset residents consider the Somerset countryside to be the most important factor in determining their quality of life.
Travelling in Somerset
There is easy access by rail and road to the major city centres such as Taunton, Plymouth, Bristol, Swindon and London. Bristol International Airport has many European and global flights available, with easy parking and a dedicated bus transport system from Bristol city centre.
Within a couple of hours cycling you can travel from the tidal mudflats of Bridgwater Bay in the west, across the Levels and Moors and Mid Somerset Hills to the limestone Yeovil Scarplands in the east. From the north, in a day's cycling, you can travel from the Mendip limestone plateau through the dramatic Cheddar Gorge, across the Levels and Moors to the Vale of Taunton Deane and over the scarp of the Blackdown Hills with its flat-topped plateau into Devon.
