Catherine Courtenay gives us an A to Z guide to how to spend the perfect festive season in our gorgeous county.
A
A Christmas Carol
Dickens’ classic Christmas tale is being brought to life by Wells Theatre Company in the atmospheric surroundings of the Bishop’s Palace. This has become a very popular event in the city’s festive calendar and involves storytelling, carols and plenty of ghostly and heart-warming spirits!
It’s on December 11 and December 19 at 11am, 12.30pm and 3pm and the performances are free with any general admission ticket to the Palace.
B
Beach
What could be better than a bracing walk along one of Somerset’s beaches? There’s the huge stretch of sand along Weston-Super-Mare, or the promenade along the seafront at Minehead, or you could head to the rocky Quantocks’ coastline and spend a Boxing Day afternoon looking for fossils on Kilve beach.
C
Chocolate
The festive holiday is a time for food and drink treats, so don’t forget to include chocolate in your list of indulgences. Somerset has its own chocolate makers, including Crafthouse Chocolate and The Chocolate Society, so head to their online shops for chocolates that are high quality, local and unique.
D
Get into the spirit of Christmas with a visit to Dulverton by Starlight. This pretty Exmoor town is decorated with Christmas trees and its shops, cafes and pubs all open throughout the day, leading through to the evening. There are stalls, foodie offerings and festive entertainment. Dulverton is full of independents and it’s a real pleasure to visit on a ‘normal’ day, let alone when the atmosphere is fizzing with festive entertainment.
E
Exmoor
Exmoor offers Christmas shopping in Dulverton, but take time out over the festive period to explore its winter landscapes. How about a bracing walk to the county’s highest point at Dunkery Beacon? Or take a wander through the ancient Horner Wood or along the river Barle at Tarr Steps.
F
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is doing the rounds across the county, even appearing on trains, in a palace and in a rather grand garden. He can be found hidden inside a folly, deep within the gardens of Hestercombe near Taunton; he’s also taking train rides with the West Somerset Railway, the East Somerset Railway and the Somerset and Dorset Railway and Mother Christmas will be joining him on his visits to the Bishop’s Palace in Wells.
G
Ghosts
The traditional time for a ghost story is Christmas Eve, but you can also plan a visit to the haunted setting of Shepton Mallet Prison, which runs popular torchlit ghost tours every Thursday. The prison’s grim past is revealed, along with tales of some of its ghostly apparitions, which have been seen, and felt, by prison staff and inmates over the years. It lasts around 90 minutes, and is not for the faint-hearted!
H
Holly
There are plenty of myths associated with holly, from Celtic legends where the Holly King fought against the Oak King and took over the winter forests, to its Christian symbolism – the leaves and berries representing the crown of thorns and blood at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Holly has long been used as a festive decoration, in wreaths or garlands and on top of the Christmas pudding. The Quick family who farm at Thurloxton have an orchard of around 1,200 holly trees and they can post beautiful boxes of berried holly, both variegated and green, direct to your door, ready for decorating the house. quantockholly.co.uk
I
Ice skating
Head for the twinkling lights in Royal Victoria Park to find Bath on Ice, a 1,000sq m ice rink. There’s music and a bar to add to the atmosphere and even a glow in the dark golf course next door. After an absence of around 10 years, Bristol has a new ice rink. Planet Ice Bristol is at the Venue Leisure Park at Cribbs Causeway and skating lessons are on offer.
J
Joseph of Arimathea
One of the enduring Glastonbury myths centres around its Holy Thorn tree. When Joseph of Arimathea (who is said to have buried the body of Jesus Christ) arrived in Avalon (Glastonbury) around AD 63, he thrust his staff into the ground and it took root and grew into a thorn tree.
The tree blooms twice a year and each Christmas, following a tradition started in 1929, the reigning monarch is sent a budded branch from a tree growing in St John’s Churchyard, a descendant of this original thorn.
K
Kilver Court
Kilver Court in Shepton Mallet came under new ownership this year, namely the Showering family. They are holding a Pop Up Christmas shopping event covering fashion, food, interiors, jewellery, beauty, gifts and homewares. There will be festive food offerings, including Showering’s warm mulled cider, to enjoy in the courtyard and you can enjoy a wintery walk around the formal gardens, which will also be open during the event. It runs on 9 and 10 December, from 9.30am to 5pm.
L
Lights
Combine a winter’s walk in the fresh air with some festive sparkle by visiting an illuminated garden. Some of these displays are breath-taking and make for a magical Christmas experience.
For the first time this year Hestercombe has a light-filled garden trail. Illuminate takes visitors through the woods and gardens, where lights are used to give a whole new garden experience. It ends with hot chocolate by the firepit in the glass-covered courtyard.
M
Mulled cider
Wine, champagne, brandy, whisky – but don’t forget to add mulled cider to the list of festive drinks. It’s easy enough to make at home, gently warning a pan of cider and adding a variety of spices, (recipes vary but cloves, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and orange are popular).
Don’t skimp with any old cider, get something of quality from one of Somerset’s many cider makers – who often sell or have their own mulled cider recipes. If you’re having a party, Burrow Hill Cider sells a 20litre bag in a box of its draft medium cider with all the spices you need, and its own recipe.
N
National Trust
Step back in time this Christmas with a visit to one of Somerset’s National Trust properties, where there are always festive events and activities taking place. Tyntesfield House will be dressed for Christmas using decorations that have been handmade over the years by its volunteers.
Several local choirs will be performing in the chapel for a series of both afternoon and evening concerts and outside there’s a Percy the Park Keeper’s winter wander trail for the little ones.
nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield
O
Osip
For a festive-time treat, Somerset has some outstanding restaurants and Michelin-starred Osip in Bruton is one of them. The team, led by Merlin Labron-Johnson, is planning something very special for its New Year food offerings but, as is the case with any dining experience at Osip, you won’t get a menu.
Instead, you have to ‘put your faith in the kitchen’ (although it will cater for all dietary needs with prior warning). The restaurant is housed in an equally creative and unique boutique hotel, Number 1 Bruton.
P
Pudding
Christmas puddings are a traditional feature of the festive lunch, but how about a Christmas Pudding race? On December 12, Covid measures permitting, the small village of Baltonsborough near Glastonbury is hosting its first Christmas Pudding five-mile race. It begins and ends in the village and follows a route around the surrounding lanes.
It’s a charity run, supporting Rowan Romania, which was founded by a group of villagers in 2004. It supports adults with special needs in a long-stay psychiatric hospital in Zarnesti which is severely overcrowded and underfunded. With instructions that ‘fancy dress is not compulsory but is encouraged’ the event should bring a smile to many faces.
Q
Quince
Quince jelly, or membrillo, make a colourful addition to the cheeseboard at Christmas and if you can’t make your own, then Tracklements makes a Quince Fruit Cheese that uses fruit from a Somerset orchard.
Another way to enjoy this aromatic fruit is in a drink, and Pilton Cider uses quince in some of its range of traditionally keeved drinks. Pomme Pomme is a fruity mix of bittersweet cider apples and quince and there’s Queen of the Brue, a fruit wine made from quinces hand-picked in orchards on the banks of the River Brue.
R
Robin
A Christmas card celebrity, Robin Red Breast can probably be found in every home over the festive season and in winter the real birds are out and about in our gardens.
Nature writer Stephen Moss, who lives in Mark on the Levels, has written a book about robins. The Robin: A Biography takes the reader through a year in the life of one of Britain’s favourite birds, revealing some of the mysteries surrounding this cheeky, and colourful character.
S
Shoppers Carols
Whether it’s in a small parish church, or Wells Cathedral, joining together to sing carols, perhaps at Midnight Mass, or on Christmas morning, is an uplifting, often emotional experience, that for some is the very essence of Christmas.
Bath Abbey is holding a series of short 20-minute afternoon services on Saturdays in December (4, 11 and 18). People can call into the Shoppers Carols services where they will be able to join in carols and hear a solo from one of the abbey’s choristers.
T
Trees
Secret Valley is an apt name for a farm near Enmore on the Quantocks. It’s where those in the know head every year as Christmas approaches. The Hardwick family has been growing and selling Christmas trees for 30 years, including Nordmann fir, Frazer fir, Norway spruce, pot grown and potted trees.
Picking up your tree from Secret Valley is a bit of an occasion too, because you’ll also find Santa’s post office, Joseph and Mary with the farm’s resident donkeys, toy tractors for little ones to ride and even a snowball fighting area! As well as local crafts, you can buy still and sparkling wines from the farm’s own vineyards. It’s open daily and prices of trees are on the website
U
Underground
Deep within the Mendip Hills is an extraordinary network of caves, and you can get a taste of this underground landscape with a visit to Wookey Hole Caves. The famous attraction goes all out for the festive season with a Winter Wonderland package of entertainment, including Santa, along with his elves and their Toy Factory, a Christmas Circus Show and the caves themselves are decorated with an underground cave light spectacular.
V
Virtual shopping
One of the legacies of a 2020 lockdown Christmas is there are now ways to enjoy the festive season from the comfort of your armchair. For example, The Virtual Bath Christmas Market includes more than 160 artisan makers from across the South West, all accessible online until the end of December.
bathchristmasmarket.co.uk
W
Willow is particularly associated with Somerset, so it makes sense to bring it into the house for some local festive decoration. You can have a go at making your own willow wreath, there are always lots of workshops around at this time or year, or you could invest in a permanent willow sculpture for the garden.
Artist Elaine Marks in Martock makes beautiful animals from willow, including deer, hares, dogs – even elephants! - which make a stunning outdoor Christmas decoration when covered in lights.
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Sneak a kiss under the mistletoe, knowing that Somerset is a particularly favoured county for this evergreen plant that grows among the branches of trees. It’s semi-parasitic, feeding off water and nutrients in its host tree, and in this country it seems to particularly love cultivated apple trees.
Y
Yuletide
There’s a Yuletide mystery waiting to be discovered at Montacute House. Inside the Elizabethan National Trust house there are the remains of a decadent yuletide party. There’s no sign of the guests, but several clues are laid around as you walk through the abandoned rooms, all of which are decorated with traditional greenery and candles.
The Mystery of the Yuletide Feast begins on December 3, running through to January 6. (Closed on December 24 and 25)
Z
ZZZZZZZZZ
Time for a doze beside the fire.
