Our latest blog puts the spotlight on our local Somerset town of Ilminster, just a 10 minute drive down the road from where our luxury large group holiday houses are tucked away in the tiny hamlet of Cricket Malherbie. It’s a peaceful town with a very relaxed air, interesting independent shops, an arts centre, good places to eat, a recreation ground and nature reserve.
When you’re staying in Somerset on your group holidays in the UK, it’s always good to venture out to explore the local area, to get to know it a little. Then you might look back when place names crop up and you’ll think “Oh yeah, we’ve been there, it’s lovely, I liked it there”. It adds to the memories. You might think you'll stay put at Beaverbrook 20 or Churchill 20 - with private spa halls that have a pool, hot tub and sauna, a games room and movie room there's plenty to keep you happy, but the chances are you might need to pop into Ilminster, our local town, for essentials. So if you do, stay for a few hours, have a stroll around. It’s a good place to be.
There are a handful of car parks in Ilminster but most people head for the big one at Tesco, taking advantage of the 2 hours free parking. So do that, then amble up the footpath at the far end of the car park; you’ll come out by Ilminster Arts Centre, perfectly set in a former Unitarian chapel built in 1718-19. Go in and see the latest exhibition, have a look at the second hand books; browse the little shop where lots of things are made by local craftspeople, pull up a pew in the café for breakfast, a light lunch or a slice of homemade cake.
If antiques and vintage are your thing, mosey on up the hill past the little cottages, then cross over to No 57. It’s a little treasure trove, this place, full of curios and nick-nackery, things that’ll take you back to your childhood or to visits to your Granny. The higgledy-piggledyness is lovely, with creaky stairs (this is one of the oldest buildings in town) taking you to rooms on different levels; there’s a ‘boys room’ with comics, books and toys, one full of kitchenalia and one that vintage fashionistas will just love. On the ground floor there’s a café that serves brunches, lunches, smaller bites and the scrummiest ever cake.
A short saunter back down the hill is The Hambridge Artist where everything is funky, colourful and unique; go in,see what's there, treat yourself to a cushion, a print or a coaster. Stroll on down the street to the market square where there are stalls set up every Thursday selling fresh fish, flowers, Mediterranean foods, freshly baked bread, cakes and savouries, and you can even get your haircut, chaps! On the corner, there’s Frame of Mind, well stocked with cards, gifts and accessories.
Cross over to head along Silver Street and have a poke around The Yard to see what you’re tempted by – it’s mostly handcrafted, upcycled or reclaimed, so one-off and quirky. Further along is The Kitchen on Silver Street where you can tuck into hearty breakfasts, light lunches and afternoon tea. Pride of place in the town is the beautiful Minster Church, quite a thing for such a small town. Take a short detour of the Court Barton area around the church, all lovely and quaint with flagstone paths, gorgeous old buildings, cute little cottages and a former grammar school.
When you get back onto Silver Street cross the road and there’s Bonners, an award-winning butchers big on local meats, with a deli attached that does delicious pies and pasties, cold meats and cheeses.
And onto cheesecake. Lovely stuff, and if you like it as much as we do, you have to check out the delights in The Somerset Cheesecakery. This is cheesecake heaven, all homemade with an array of flavours. Chocolate Orange, Lemon Meringue, Nutella & Ferrero Rocher, White Chocolate & Raspberry, Biscoff, Turkish Delight... So that’s pudding sorted. Next door is County Antiques (you never know what you might find…), and a few strides further is Sweet Surprise, providing a day service for adults with learning difficulties, with a café and sweet shop. Lovely service, breakfasts, lunches and cakes, sweets from jars the old-fashioned way.
Potter back along the street, stopping for a mooch in The Emporium set in Ilminster’s old ‘department store’, still with its original frontage. Feast your eyes on the eclectic range of vintage and artisan wares; the chances are there's something there you never knew you wanted. Further along there’s a chemist, a wholefood shop and a hardware store (could be handy), a dairy with a good choice of cheeses, hot pasties and sandwiches or baguettes made to order.
Carry on back up the main street past Boots and the Post Office to Remains To Be Seen for more antiques, and right next door, Andrassy Living for homewares and fashion; around the corner the little lane leads back to the car park. If you want to stretch your legs further, go down to the recreation ground and up through the fields to Herne Hill where the 28 acre woodlands provide a varied habitat for wildlife; there's a badger sett, a nature trail and good views over the town and surrounding countryside.
And that's it, a brief guide to our local Somerset town. We hope we've made it seem as lovely as it is in real life, but the best thing to do is go and find out for yourselves; explore, remember, come back again.