Well, Well, Wells…I’ve finally ticked you off my UK bucket list! Now this is going to be a pretty short post without a million photos as per the norm as it was raining St Bernards and rather fat cats on the day we went exploring Wells in Somerset.
Years ago, G and I had ventured down to Somerset for the most random reason of picking up some dive equipment for his hobby (not mine…you ain’t getting me diving especially after G is no longer allowed to dive after suffering from the Bends at a cost of £100,000…I won’t be diving EVER but I digress)…I had the option of visiting Cheddar or Wells and picked Cheddar…while it was nice and I did gobble down a Cheddar Cheese sandwich in Cheddar (another tick off the ol’ UK bucket list) I felt a tad disappointed.
^^The cheddar cheese sarnie at Cheddar from pre-blog and pre-gluten free days…and a load less megapixels!
G’s mum told me when we returned that I would have loved Wells so I added it onto my UK bucket list vowing to return…and finally we did as we made a pit stop on our way down to Cornwall.
My first stop was to browse the market …for some reason I didn’t snap a photo of the market but holy moly the market is really really grand and there were loads of things I really badly wanted…I’m trying to be frugal and break my bad spending habits so I went off to visit the cathedral instead of flashing the cash…
…ironically walking underneath the Penniless Porch…I’m not penniless but this did make me giggle as I was trying to avoid shopping in the market.
Wells Cathedral operates on a donation entrance fee so even though you aren’t obliged to pay (I always do)...I’ve seen folks refuse to pay and then get that look…to be honest I’m to scared not to pay as I feel like I’m tempting fate and going to piss off God, so I pay the donation…for some reason she put me through as a concession…I have aged by about 20 years in the past few months but hey ho…I’m pretty sure God wanted me to have that additional £1.00 for not spending a penny in the market.
Anyway I have digressed again…the Cathedral has the most stunning detail on the exterior but inside it is rather simple…
…now there is nothing wrong with simple as it was rather beautiful and I just loved the simplicity and calmness to the interior…
…my photo doesn’t do the stained windows justice…
…this was my favourite spot inside the cathedral…
…and check out that ceiling…
…overall a 10/10 Cathedral!
^^the cathedral is huge compared to the little touristy ants in front of the building
Now there was a spot I really was keen to visit and that was Vicar’s Close…probably the most photogenic spot in the whole of Wells (albeit possibly more photogenic without the car…it reminded me of the Banana Mobile at Arlington Row in Bibury!)…
…G’s mum even told me to visit due to the doors…it’s a must see and on the day we visited, G and I were the only ones there.
The cathedral with a few of the cute little homes in Vicar’s Close.
^^Love it when you can squeeze in a chunky cathedral!
Honestly I may have taken more photos of Vicar’s Close than the rest of Wells…
…oh well…it’s not a bad spot to go snap happy!
We went off for another little wander around The Bishop’s Palace but only got as far as the Moat…those St Bernards were howling and my sensible shoes were getting drenched…I saw a groom running off to his wedding, I’m not sure if this is a good sign of things to come for his marriage?!?…
…but alas I did find a pretty door in Wells…in the rain.
Unfortunately the parking metre was calling our name…so we toddled off and joined the puddle jumping Olympics where we should have won a gold medal or two for our jumping skills…grabbing the car without even stopping for a slice of cake and a cuppa…we were having an off day as we always eat cake!
Somerset, I’m not done with you yet…I picked up a few tourist brochures and realised there is so much more to offer in this county than the smallest city in the England and a Cheddar cheese sarnie…I’ll be back. Sorry…I thought I wouldn’t rabbit on much and only had 5 or 6 photos to share!
Travel Tips for Exploring Wells, Somerset
- There are a number of spots for parking in the city; we managed to nab a spot in the town centre for our little wander around.
- You can catch a train from London for a day trip – check out www.thetrainline.com for more train time details and tickets.
- There is a small entrance fee / donation to enter Wells Cathedral which helps with the upkeep for the building – adults £6pp.
- The picturesque street in Wells is Vicar’s Close and it’s just a short skip and hop from Wells Cathedral.
- We didn’t have a chance to visit The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens as the weather was rather pants on the day we visited…it was perfect if you were a duck! Adult ticket price is £7.25pp.
- If you do have a car then make sure to check out the Kilver Court Designer Outlet Village as they have a lovely Mulberry shop there to browse.
- Fancy staying a night then why not check out booking.com for accommodation deals.
xx
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