Wells
Wells is the smallest city in England, with a population of around 10,000. It is in Somerset in the south-west of the country. The city is dominated by the magnificent Gothic cathedral and is famous for its remarkably intact ecclesiastical quarter. This area contains the Bishop's Palace – the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells – and the Vicar's Close, a medieval street purported to be the oldest continuously-inhabited street in Europe. The city takes its name from the natural wells found in the Cathedral grounds, which feed the moat and ponds around the Bishop's Palace. The majority of the Edgar Wright comedy Hot Fuzz was filmed in and around Wells.
- For other places with the same name, see Wells (disambiguation).
Understand
Get in
By plane
The nearest airport is 🌍 Bristol Airport (BRS IATA), around 20 mi (32 km) away. You can hire a car at the airport or catch the bus into Bristol in order to catch a bus to Wells. In common with many rural towns, Wells has no train station.
By car
From Bristol, take the A37 south until you reach the A371, then head west into Wells. From Bath, take the A39 west into the A37, and then on to the A371 west into Wells. If coming from the South, exit the M5 at junction 23, then take the A39 "Bath Road" through Glastonbury and continue North to Wells.
By train
These stations nears Wells are reachable from Bristol and London Paddington:
- Castle Cary station: bus, changing in Shepton Mallet;
- Weston-super-Mare Milton station: direct bus;
- Bristol Temple Meads: direct bus;
- Bath Spa station: direct bus.
By bus
There is an hourly bus service, number 376, from Bristol to Street. Get on at Bristol bus station or at Bristol Temple Meads rail station. This service is run by FirstGroup and up-to-date timetables can be found here.
Bristol → Pensford → Wells → Glastonbury → Street
Get around
The city is so small that unless you have a medical condition you should have no trouble walking everywhere. If you would like there are taxis but these would only be useful making forays into the countryside (beautiful, by the way) or to nearby Cheddar, but these are accessible by bus, as well. Taxis in Somerset are expensive, even more so than in most large cities.
See
🌍 Wells Cathedral (Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew), ☏ +44 1749 674483. Wells Cathedral is the only cathedral in England that still has a Vicars Close and Bishop's Palace intact (so they claim). This makes it a must-see, as it rises above the town and is visible for miles! The most distinctive thing about this cathedral is the scissor arches in the transept. These modern-looking arches were built in the 1300s to stabilise the structure after a heightened tower was added, and they face north, south, and west.
- 🌍 Cathedral Clock (on the north wall). 2 knights strike bells with their axes every quarter hour. free.
🌍 Bishop's Palace, ☏ +44 1749 988111. 27 March - 29 October: 10AM-6PM; 29 October - 26 March: 10AM-4PM. The Bishop of Bath's residence. The majestic grade I palace offers tours. Adult £8.05, concession £7.15, child (5-18) £3.55, family (1 adult, up to 3 children) £14.40, family (2 adults, up to 3 children) £21.60.
🌍 Vicars' Close, Vicar's Cl, BA5 2UJ (north of the cathedral). A 13th-century residential street still lived in. free.
🌍 Wells Museum, 8 Cathedral Green, BA5 2UE (opposite the cathedral), ☏ +44 1749 673477. M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su closed. It portrays the history of the city.
Out of the city
🌍 Wookey Hole Caves. A series of limestone caverns that are open as a show cave and tourist attraction.
🌍 Yeo Valley Organic Gardens, Blagdon BS40 7SQ, ☏ +44 1761 461425. Th F 11AM-5PM. Delightful gardens overlooking Blagdon Lake.
Do
Hot Fuzz Tour. Wells was the main filming location for the fictional idyllic Gloucestershire village of Sandford in the 2007 Simon Pegg film Hot Fuzz.
- 🌍 Danny Butterman's house, 30 Balch Rd, BA5 2BZ.
- Swan Hotel, Sadler St, BA5 2RX. Nicholas Angel's accommodation when he arrives in Sandford.
- 🌍 The Crown, 1 High St, BA5 2AA. Pub that Nicholas Angel and his colleagues frequent after work.
- 🌍 St Cuthbert's church (Sandford church), St Cuthbert's St, BA5 2AW. Scene of the village fête and the unfortunate accident that happened there.
- 🌍 Little Theatre (Sandford's theatre), Chamberlain St, BA5. Theatre that Nicholas Angel goes to, to watch one of the worst productions of Romeo & Juliet.
- 🌍 City News, 2A High St, BA5 2SG. A small convenience store that Nicholas Angel visits to buy a vanilla Cornetto ice cream (notable as Hot Fuzz was the second film in the "Cornetto trilogy").
Events
Wells Carnival. Wells Carnival takes place every November and it's full of illuminated floats. Don't miss it.
🌍 Priddy Folk Festival, Priddy, BA5 3BB. Three days of folk music on the Mendip plateau, north of Wells.
Buy
Every Wednesday and Saturday there is a market in the Market Place with all kinds of local art, jewellery and other goods.
🌍 Wells Farmers Market, Market Place, BA5 2RB (Opposite the Town Hall). 9AM-2:30PM. A farmers market from local providers. 17 stalls offering local fruit, vegetables, cheeses, jams and chutneys and many other goods. Every Wednesday.
The city's main attractions offer gift shops, perfect for a souvenir to take home.
High Street and the Market Place are probably the best places to shop in Wells. You'll find W. H. Smith, Waterstones and many other shops including charity shops, pharmacies, clothes shops and a wide range of coffee shops. Several shops open on Sundays.
🌍 Flapjackery, 1 Sadler St, Wells BA5 2RR, ☏ +44 1749 937 377. 9Am-5PM. All types of flapjacks, a cake made from oats and golden syrup. There are several large supermarkets south of the High Street, including Tesco and Lidl, however be careful as pedestrian access involves crossing busy roads (zebra and pelican crossings are installed).
Eat
🌍 Ajwa Restaurant, Princes Rd, Wells BA5 2DT (next to the bus station). 5-10PM (Tu closed). Indian restaurant with freshly cooked food and bring your own drink Sunday buffet £15.95.
🌍 The Fountain Inn, 1 St Thomas St, Wells BA5 2UU, ☏ +44 1749 672 317. 5:30-10PM (M W closed). Gastro pub
🌍 The Good Earth, 4–6 Priory Road, BA5 1SY, ☏ +44 1749 678600, info@thegoodearthwells.co.uk. 9AM-4:30PM. A cafe and a health-food supermarket. Freshly cooked meals with a daily menu. Portions are very substantial. Whole food supermarket offers big choice of products. Not far from city centre and Wells Cathedral (5–10 minute walk).
🌍 The Sheppey, Lower Godney BA5 1SY, ☏ +44 1458 831594. Pleasant country pub, dog-friendly, with rooms and quality meals. B&B double £110.
Drink
There are several nice pubs in Wells. The Rose & Crown has some nice ales and a great beer garden, but it can get quite busy on weekends. The City Arms has some great food, but it's quite quiet in there and lacks the pub atmosphere. The Crown has a great atmosphere and it's a great pub.
🌍 The City Arms (The Olde City Jail), High St, BA5 2AG, ☏ +44 1749 677768. M-Sa 10AM-1AM, Su 10AM-noon.
🌍 The Full Moon, 42 Southover, BA5 1UH, ☏ +44 1749 678 291. noon-11PM.
🌍 The Quarter Jack, 18, Priory Road, BA5 1SY. 8AM-midnight. JD Wetherspoon
🌍 The Rose & Crown, 7 St John St, BA5 1SW, ☏ +44 1749 677556. 11AM-midnight. The Rose and Crown has a pool table, so you can have a lovely game of pool whilst sampling some great local ales.
Sleep
🌍 Swan Hotel, 11 Sadler St, BA5 2RX, ☏ +44 1749 836300. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. 15th-century coaching inn with 50 bedrooms located opposite Wells Cathedral and a wood panelled dining room. £134.
🌍 Stoberry House, Stoberry Park BA5 3LD (off A39), ☏ +44 1749 672906. Luxurious B&B in a former coaching-house, 7 rooms. Children only allowed on block-bookings, no dogs. B&B double £140.
🌍 The Litton, Litton, Radstock BA3 4PW, ☏ +44 1761 241554. Charming countryside pub-bistro with rooms. B&B double £100.
Go next
Other local attractions near Wells are:
- Bath
- Bristol
- Cheddar
- Glastonbury
- Mendip Hills to the north
- Street (with Clarks Village outlet mall)
- Shepton Mallet — a pleasant historic market town with a good range of listed buildings
- Wookey Hole Caves (full of adventure for little kids)
These attractions are all accessible by bus (buses usually leave from the bus station near Tesco)
| Routes through Wells |
| Bridgwater ← Glastonbury ← | SW NE | → Mendip Hills (East) → Bath/Bristol (via ) |
| Cheddar ← Mendip Hills (West) ← | NW SE | → Dulcote → Shepton Mallet |