Things to Do in Wells, Somerset: A Local's Guide to a Day Out

Wells is the smallest city in England, and you can walk across it in fifteen minutes. That's exactly what makes it a good day out: the Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, the market and a handful of genuinely good places to eat are all within a few streets of each other. Here's how we'd spend a day here, written by people who work five minutes from the Cathedral Green.

Morning: the Cathedral and the Green

Start at Wells Cathedral. The west front is the largest collection of medieval sculpture in England, and the scissor arches inside are the thing everyone photographs. Look for the astronomical clock, which has been running since the 1390s and still puts on a show of jousting knights on the quarter hour. Entry is by donation.

The Cathedral Green outside is worth a slow lap, and Vicars' Close runs off it - a street of medieval houses, said to be the oldest purely residential street in Europe, still lived in today.

Mid-morning: coffee

By now you'll want a sit down. We're a two-minute walk away in Heritage Courtyard, just off Sadler Street, and we open at 9am Monday to Saturday for coffee and homemade cake. If you've skipped breakfast, our breakfast menu runs until 11.30am. The courtyard is tucked back from the traffic, which makes it a quieter stop than the high street.

Late morning: the Bishop's Palace

The Bishop's Palace is moated, which is unusual for a bishop, and the gardens are the main draw. The wells themselves - the springs the city is named after - rise in the grounds. The swans on the moat have been trained for generations to ring a bell by the gatehouse when they want feeding, and they still do it.

Lunch

Wells punches above its weight for a city of twelve thousand people. We serve lunch from 12pm to 3.30pm - French-inspired small plates, charcuterie boards, croques and dishes like bouillabaisse and beef bourguignon, cooked by our chef Daniel. Any bottle on our shop shelves can be drunk in for a small corkage fee, which is a nice way to try something you wouldn't normally order by the glass.

There's also a good spread of pubs, cafes and restaurants along Sadler Street, the Market Place and High Street if you'd rather wander and see what takes you.

Afternoon: market, shops and film

If it's a Wednesday or Saturday, the Wells Market fills the Market Place with local produce, cheese, bread and crafts. The city also has an unusual number of independent shops for its size - bookshops, delis, galleries and antiques, mostly clustered around High Street and Sadler Street.

Film fans may recognise the Market Place and the Crown: much of Hot Fuzz was shot in Wells, and the town does a brisk trade in people retracing it. The Wells & Mendip Museum on Cathedral Green covers local geology and the Mendip caves, and there's an art centre right next door to us in Heritage Courtyard.

Further afield

If you have a car, Wookey Hole caves are two miles away, Cheddar Gorge about eight, and Glastonbury Tor six miles south. All three make comfortable half-day additions.

Evening

Wells is quiet in the evening, which is part of its charm. On selected Friday and Saturday evenings we stay open late for supper clubs and wine tasting evenings, usually on the last weekend of the month - five-course menus with wine flights chosen by David. These are booking only and they fill up quickly, so it's worth checking dates before you plan your trip.

Practical notes

• Parking - the main car parks are on Princes Road and Union Street, both a few minutes' walk from the Cathedral.
• Getting here - Wells has no railway station. Buses run from Bristol, Bath and Glastonbury to the bus station on Princes Road.
• Market days - Wednesday and Saturday.
• Sundays - much of the city, including us, is closed. Plan around it.

Find us

The Pressoir, 10 Heritage Courtyard, Wells, Somerset BA5 2RR. Open Monday to Thursday 9am to 4.30pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 7pm, closed Sunday.

Heritage Courtyard is easy to miss - read how to find us, with directions, parking and buses. Or see where to eat near Wells Cathedral.