Mells

Ancient ironworking heritage runs deep through this Somerset village, where Fussells Iron Works once thundered with industrial might. Mells sits quietly in a fold of rolling countryside, its honey-coloured cottages clustering around village streets that barely trouble the postcode maps. The ruins at Fussells tell stories of when this was England's industrial heartland - proper industrial archaeology for anyone with curiosity.

Woodland blankets the surrounding hills like a green quilt. Alice Street Wood and Barrow Wood offer proper walking territory, while the heights of Newbury Hill and Huddox Hill reward the effort with cracking views across the Mendip foothills. These aren't tourist trails - you'll have the paths mostly to yourself on weekdays.

The village itself keeps village hours. No rush, no fuss, just the sort of place where you notice the seasons changing in hedgerows and hear church bells on Sunday mornings. Fussell's Trial Balance Lock hints at the waterways that once powered local industry, though nature's reclaimed much of that legacy now.

Getting here means threading through Somerset's quieter roads from Bath or Shepton Mallet - about twenty minutes either way. The A362 gets you close, then it's country lanes from there. Worth noting that mobile signal can be patchy in the valleys.

Staying at one of the nearby parks - Center Parcs Longleat Forest or Brokerswood Holiday Park - puts you within easy striking distance of both Mells and the broader Somerset countryside. Perfect for families wanting rural peace without complete isolation.