Minehead

Steam whistles echo across the harbour as the West Somerset Railway pulls into the station, carrying day-trippers down from the Quantock Hills. Minehead sits where Exmoor tumbles into the Bristol Channel, a proper Victorian seaside town that's never quite shaken off its old-fashioned charm - and that's exactly why locals love it.

The seafront stretches for miles, backed by colourful beach huts and that distinctive promenade architecture. Blue Anchor marks the eastern end of the bay, where the railway line literally runs onto the beach - a sight that still surprises first-time visitors. Beyond the town, dense woodland carpets the surrounding hills: Muddymoor Copse and Halscombe Wood offer proper walking territory, while the more adventurous can tackle Treborough Common for cracking views back across the channel.

Butlins still dominates one end of the bay, love it or loathe it, but venture into the town itself and you'll find independent shops along the High Street and some decent pubs serving proper Somerset cider. The West Somerset Railway is the real draw here - Britain's longest heritage line winds 20 miles inland through some spectacular countryside, with the Comberow Incline Winding House telling the story of the area's industrial past.

Getting here's straightforward enough from Taunton or Bridgwater, though the roads can get busy during school holidays. Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense - you're ideally placed for both the coast and Exmoor's wilder reaches, with ancient sites like Dun's Stone scattered across the surrounding moorland. The forests around Geoffrey's Oaks and The Alders provide excellent walking when the beach gets a bit much.