Motorhomes For Sale Near Me
Looking to buy a motorhome in your local area? We are the local specialists and offer a wide range of motorhomes across a range of sizes and prices. We have motorhomes for sale in Tetbury, Yate, Bristol and Bath. We offer campervans in Cheddar, Radstock and Trowbridge. Check out our range of motorhomes in Frome, Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Street.
Bristol (/ˈbrɪstəl/ (listen)) is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England.[5] Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire, to the north; and Somerset, to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in South West England.[6] The wider Bristol Built-up Area is the eleventh most populous urban area in the United Kingdom.[7]
Iron Age hill forts and Roman villas were built near the confluence of the rivers Frome and Avon, and around the beginning of the 11th century, the settlement was known as Brycgstow (Old English "the place at the bridge"). Bristol received a royal charter in 1155 and was historically divided between Gloucestershire and Somerset until 1373 when it became a county corporate. From the 13th to the 18th century, Bristol was among the top three English cities, after London, in tax receipts; however, it was surpassed by the rapid rise of Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool in the Industrial Revolution[citation needed].
Bristol was a starting place for early voyages of exploration to the New World. On a ship out of Bristol in 1497 John Cabot, a Venetian, became the first European to land on mainland North America. In 1499 William Weston, a Bristol merchant was the first Englishman to lead an exploration to North America. At the height of the Bristol slave trade, from 1700 to 1807, more than 2,000 slave ships carried an estimated 500,000 people from Africa to slavery in the Americas. The Port of Bristol has since moved from Bristol Harbour in the city centre to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock.
Bristol's modern economy is built on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries, and the city-centre docks have been redeveloped as centres of heritage and culture. The city has the largest circulating community currency in the UK; the Bristol pound, which is pegged to the Pound sterling. The city has two universities, the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England, and a variety of artistic and sporting organisations and venues including the Royal West of England Academy, the Arnolfini, Spike Island, Ashton Gate and the Memorial Stadium. It is connected to London and other major UK cities by road and rail, and to the world by sea and air: road, by the M5 and M4 (which connect to the city centre by the Portway and M32); rail, via Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway mainline rail stations; and Bristol Airport.
One of the UK's most popular tourist destinations, Bristol was named the best city in Britain in which to live in 2014 and 2017, and won the European Green Capital Award in 2015.
Tetbury is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and the second largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of King Charles III and The Queen Consort. Tetbury was an important market for Cotswold wool and yarn during the Middle Ages. Today, it is better associated with boutique shops, great food, and its Royal Connections.
Tetbury with over 1300 years of recorded history lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex in 681. The centre has many fine stone buildings in various styles indicating the architectural fashions of the last 400 years. Many of these fine houses were originally built and financed by the wool-staplers on the proceeds of the sale of wool. Tetbury has never manufactured cloth as it does not have continual running water to service mills.
The town is known as an ‘architectural gem’ because many of the wool merchants’ houses still look as they did years ago.
St Marys’ Church has an impressive spire that can be seen from all directions as you enter the town. The nave of the church dates from the late 1770s, replacing a medieval church, with the tower and spire being rebuilt about 100 years later. The perpendicular interior with high box pews is light and airy and must be viewed.
Chipping Steps in the corner of The Chipping car park is an old entrance to the town and the cottages running down the side are very picturesque and probably originally weaver’s cottages.
The centre of Tetbury is a conservation area and many buildings have graded listing. Look up as you walk the streets and see the architecture and natural stone for which the Cotswolds are famous.
King Charles III first arrived in 1980 at Highgrove and made it the family home.
Since then he has transformed the garden into what is now regarded as one of the most creatively inspired gardens of today. The garden consists of a series of interlinked areas, each having its own character and purpose. Many people visit and tour this stunning garden open from April until October for guided tours gaining a glimpse into royalty. The Highgrove Gardens guided tours need to be booked in advance.
King Charles opened the Highgrove shop in Tetbury in 2008 and was the perfect complement for the other shops in Tetbury who have served the Royal Household for many years with some gaining the prestigious Royal Warrant. Duchy Home Farm, which runs itself like the garden on organic principles, lies also very close to Tetbury.
Princess Anne, The Princess Royal lives about six miles from Tetbury between Avening and Minchinhampton at Gatcombe Park, famous for the Festival of British Eventing. The house and estate are not open to the public.
On the edge of the Somerset Levels, Cheddar’s elevation soars 500 feet to the top of Cheddar Gorge. Home to the country’s highest inland cliffs, Cheddar boasts one of Great Britain's most impressive landmarks alongside world-famous produce. Visitors to the village of Cheddar and Cheddar Gorge have been astounded by Cheddar’s magnificent limestone Gorge for centuries. Cheddar Gorge can be viewed from the public road running through the ravine or by footpaths along the top of the cliffs where you can drink in spectacular 360° views of the Mendip Hills.
Formed over one million years ago during the last ice age, Cheddar Gorge and Cheddar Caves are available to explore and are home to prehistoric findings including Britain’s oldest complete skeleton, the Cheddar Man. Unsurprisingly, Somerset’s impressive gorge boasts three impressive titles: a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation, and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
However, it’s not just the iconic landscape that puts Cheddar on the map: Cheddar cheese is world famous and the traditional method of cheese making can still be seen at the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company. Before you leave, stop at the gift shop to pick up authentic Cheddar cheese - matured in Cheddar’s Gough's Cave itself.
Head down to the Lower Gorge and village for gentle riverside walks, quaint tearooms, and a variety of restaurants and cafés. Cheddar village boasts ancient architecture including the remains of a saxon palace, old market cross and Minster Church as well as charming gift shops, toy museum and crazy golf course.
Nearby Cheddar reservoir is a fantastic place to spot wildlife or take a gentle bike ride. If you’re looking for a longer cycle route, take The Strawberry Line’s 10-mile path from Cheddar to Yatton. The former railway line opened in 1869 and was essential for transporting famous Cheddar strawberries, as well as passengers - making it the ideal way to take in stunning Somerset landscapes.
Trowbridge (/ˈtroʊbrɪdʒ/ TROH-brij) is the county town of Wiltshire, England, on the River Biss in the west of the county. It is near the border with Somerset and lies 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Bath, 31 miles (49 km) southwest of Swindon and 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Bristol.
Long a market town, the Kennet and Avon canal to the north of Trowbridge played an instrumental part in the town's development as it allowed coal to be transported from the Somerset Coalfield and so marked the advent of steam-powered manufacturing in woollen cloth mills. The town was the foremost producer of this mainstay of contemporary clothing and blankets in south west England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, by which time it held the nickname "The Manchester of the West".[2]
The civil parish of Trowbridge had a population of 33,108 at the 2011 census.[3] The parish encompasses the settlements of Longfield, Lower Studley, Upper Studley, Studley Green and Trowle Common. The River Biss enters Trowbridge from the southeast, where it flows through Biss Meadows, managed as a country park.[25] In the north of the town it is joined by the Lambrok Stream, then continues north to join the River Avon near Staverton.[26]
Northwest of the town, part of the Avon Green Belt prevents expansion towards Bradford-on-Avon.[27] To the north and northwest, housing areas in Staverton and Hilperton parishes are contiguous with Trowbridge's urban area; however, to the south and southeast, the villages of Southwick, North Bradley, Yarnbrook and West Ashton maintain their separate identities.[28]
Highlighted as one of the Times “Best Places to Live in Britain”, Frome is also a welcoming, charming and vibrant place to visit, with a wealth of history, culture and natural beauty.
Packed to the rafters with historic buildings, beautiful independent shops and creative people, Frome is a wonderfully eventful town. It is the perfect destination for discerning tourists looking for something just a little bit different on visits to Somerset. Frome is a town with a charming historic centre and has a wealth of architectural interest alongside a thriving contemporary and performing arts scene. Frome is also the original Somerset Market Town, a hugely important destination hosting a thriving market since the time the ink was still wet on The Domesday Book. This tradition continues today with regular markets every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Then on the first Sunday of each month from March to December, the Frome Independent Market comes to town. The Frome Independent is a mini festival that takes over the whole town attracting thousands of visitors. It brings together the best local food and drink, artists and designers, produce, plants, flowers, retro, vintage, collectables, home wares and street entertainment. Aside from the markets, Frome is full of specialist shops, arts and crafts, antiques and collectibles sitting alongside vintage and unique clothing shops and businesses, the majority of which are independent. Frome is also home to a number of arts venues and galleries in historic buildings, including The Black Swan, Rook Lane Arts, and the Silk Mill.
Frome has a growing reputation as a hub for creative industries. Many professional craftspeople work from individual workshops with specialities ranging from designer jewellery and textiles to musical instrument makers and artist blacksmiths. It is also home to modern innovative and creative businesses, like 3D printing and new media agencies.
Now known for its community spirit, arts and entertainment, Frome has a number of choirs, a symphony orchestra, a Youth Band, two theatres – the Memorial and Merlin, Westway Cinema and the noted Cheese and Grain, a fantastic live music venue often boasting performances and shows from many a headline act, especially during the Frome Festival and on the lay over from Glastonbury. Frome hosts a well-established calendar of events including the 10-day Frome Festival, the Frome and Agricultural Cheese Show, the Carnival and the Frome Christmas Extravaganza, which in 2013 featured the Frome Grand Prix, with local boy Jenson Button returning home to burn up the streets of Frome in his F1 car. View the specially commissioned film of this event.
Glastonbury is situated on the low-lying Somerset Levels, some 30 miles (48 km) south of the city of Bristol. In times gone by, this area of Somerset was flooded in winter by a marshy sea. In summer the water levels would fall allowing settlers to move about more freely and graze their animals. The inhabitants of this region became known as "the summer people", hence the county name "Somerset". It was in this marshland on a sector of higher, drier ground that Glastonbury sprang up. The town appears to have been inhabited since the Neolithic age and a Christian community is thought to have existed from the earliest days of the Church in this country. The Saxons built the first stone church around 712 AD, the Saxon king Centwine being the first supporters of Glastonbury Abbey. It became one of the most important abbeys in Britain and in 1016 was chosen for the coronation of Edmund Ironside. The success of the town continued to be linked with the unbroken importance of the abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. After this, the abbey fell into ruins but the town itself continued to thrive as a commercial centre.
Today, Glastonbury lives on as a tourist attraction, the ancient buildings and unique atmosphere continuing to draw visitors from all over the world. The legendry visit of Joseph of Arimathea, who is supposed to have planted his staff in the ground, which then miraculously flowered into the Glastonbury Holy Thorn, continues to draw pilgrims and curiosity seekers. The town has also been identified with the legendary Isle of Avalon where King Arthur is said to be buried. These stories and the region's spiritual ambiance have led to the town becoming something of a centre for the New Age religion. The town contains many interesting old buildings associated with the abbey such as the Tribunal, the George Hotel and the Pilgrims' Inn. The Somerset Rural Life Museum is housed in the old tithe barn. The Church of St John the Baptist dates from the 15th century.
The world's largest music event The Glastonbury Festival is held each year at Worthy Farm, Pilton, just east of Glastonbury.