M5 West • A303 route • A36 route

M5 route

The main route into Somerset is the M5 motorway. Join the M5 motorway at Bristol and follow it southwest passing Taunton. The M5 runs west along the north Somerset coast passing Bristol, Avonmouth, Clevedon and Nailsea before heading south near Weston-super-Mare. It continues south passing Highbridge, Bridgwater, Taunton and finally Wellington before crossing into Devon.

A303 non-motorway

Another option, if motorway driving does not appeal, is the A303 running west from Andover in Hampshire to Ilminster. Other routes include the North-South A37 between Bristol and Dorchester, Dorset via Shepton Mallet and Ilchester.

A36 road

The A36 heads northwest into the county from Southampton entering Somerset near Frome where it becomes the A361. The A361 and A39 effectively connect Frome with Bridgwater and West Somerset via Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Street. The A38, runs south of Bristol towards Burnham-on Sea passing Bristol Airport en route.

Trains leave London Waterloo daily at regular intervals on the West of England line heading towards Exeter for Penzance, with very convenient interchanges at Reading and Taunton.

The main stations for Somerset would be Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway, Taunton, Yeovil, Castle Cary and Crewkerne depending on your final destination. The coastal resorts of Somerset are served by the Highbridge & Burnham Station and the Weston-super-Mare Station. There are smaller stations at Frome, Nailsea & Backwell, Bruton, Crewkerne and Templecombe. One of the most romantic ways to travel is by sleeper.

You can purchase rail tickets online at thetrainline.com.

Please remember that, if booking in advance, two single tickets are often a lot cheaper than a return ticket!

Plan your Somerset journey here, with an interactive map, links and information offering comprehensive bus travel throughout Somerset.

Bristol Airport offers a wide range of flights both domestically and internationally. Simply fly into Bristol Airport and hire a car to explore Somerset, Devon and the whole South West!