Rose Cottages

These cottages near Bridgwater sit amid gardens that feel genuinely lived-in rather than museum-piece manicured. Rose Cottages themselves are traditional Somerset properties, the sort with proper character that you don't see much anymore - thick walls, low ceilings, the works. The gardens surrounding them are what draw people in though: rambling borders packed with roses (obviously), herbaceous perennials, and the kind of informal planting that suggests someone actually knows what they're doing with a spade.

It's worth a visit if you're into gardens and heritage properties, though expect something intimate rather than grand. You're not talking Hidcote here - this is smaller, more personal. The setting gives you a genuine sense of how people lived and gardened in rural Somerset rather than experiencing a polished tourist attraction. Half an hour to an hour should see you round everything depending on how much you want to linger.

Combine it with a stay at Haven Burnham-on-Sea Holiday Village just five miles away and you've got a decent afternoon sorted. The proximity to Bridgwater means you can tie it in with other local spots without too much messing about. It's the sort of place that appeals more to gardeners and architecture enthusiasts than to kids after a theme park fix, but anyone after a quiet wander through some proper Somerset character won't be disappointed.