Best Places to Visit Near Taunton
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit near Taunton are Trull Waterfall, Wellington Monument, Culmstock Beacon, Burton Pynsent Monument, Kilve Beach, East Quantoxhead Beach, Lilstock Beach and St Audries Bay Waterfall.
Taunton, the county town of Somerset, sits neatly between two very different landscapes: the rolling Blackdown Hills to the south and the fossil-strewn coast of the Bristol Channel to the north. Start almost on the doorstep at Trull, where a modest waterfall tumbles along the Sherford Brook.
Head south and the Blackdowns rise, crowned by the towering Wellington Monument and, deeper in, the beehive-shaped Culmstock Beacon with its wide valley views. Out east, above the watery Somerset Levels near Curry Rivel, the Burton Pynsent Monument spikes up from the fields.
Turn north instead and you reach the Quantock coast, where Kilve, East Quantoxhead and remote Lilstock offer rocky ledges thick with ammonites and other fossils. Close by, St Audries Bay hides a waterfall that drops straight onto the beach at low tide.
Monuments, fossil beaches, hilltop beacons and hidden falls all lie within a short drive. Here are eight places to visit near Taunton.
Trull Waterfall
Photo: Shazz via Geograph.org.uk
Stroll to Trull Waterfall Barely a couple of miles south of Taunton, near the village of Trull, this small fall runs on the Sherford Brook. It is a modest local feature rather than a big natural cascade, appearing on a short circular walk with a viewing bridge over the stream.
The Winchester Arms pub stands nearby on Church Road for afterwards. Some accounts say the fall began as a weir built to feed a mill, though that is not firmly confirmed.
Being so close to Taunton, it makes an easy stroll when you fancy a bit of running water without going far from town.
Wellington Monument
Photo: Noel Jenkins via Geograph.org.uk
Climb to the Wellington Monument A short drive south into the Blackdown Hills brings you to this tall three-sided stone obelisk on the ridge above Wellington. It commemorates the Duke of Wellington and his victory at Waterloo, and its three sides are said to echo the shape of a bayonet.
Building began in 1817 but dragged on until 1854, and it is reckoned to be the tallest three-sided obelisk in the world. The National Trust owns it, and after years closed for safety it reopened in 2021 following major repairs, with a staircase inside opened for occasional tours.
The ridgetop views make the trip from Taunton worthwhile.
Culmstock Beacon
Photo: David Smith via Geograph.org.uk
Walk up to Culmstock Beacon Further into the Blackdown Hills, over the border into Devon above Culmstock, this small stone hut sits on a hilltop. Round and beehive-shaped, built of local stone, it has a low doorway and a circular opening in its domed roof where a warning fire once burned.
It was one of the chain of beacons lit to pass news of danger across the country, including the threat of the Spanish Armada. From the hill the view runs south over the Culm valley.
It makes a rewarding short walk and a quiet, atmospheric spot within easy reach of Taunton.
Burton Pynsent Monument
Photo: Roger Cornfoot via Geograph.org.uk
Seek out the Burton Pynsent Monument East of Taunton, above the Somerset Levels near Curry Rivel, this tall stone column stands alone in the fields. Rising some hundred and forty feet, a slender Doric column on a square base topped by a domed cupola and stone urn, it is a landmark for miles across the flat, watery country below.
Inside, a spiral stair climbs to the top. It was put up in the 1760s by William Pitt the Elder in memory of Sir William Pynsent, a squire who admired Pitt so much he left him his whole estate.
It stands on private farmland but can be seen from the lanes and paths around.
Kilve Beach
Photo: Chris Gunns via Geograph.org.uk
Comb Kilve Beach Head north toward the coast and the Quantock Hills to reach Kilve Beach, a rocky, fossil-rich shore on the Bristol Channel. Wide ledges of grey lias rock run out below low cliffs, and the flat stones and shale hold ammonites and other fossils weathering onto the beach.
Near the shore stands a ruined brick building left from a failed 1920s scheme to make oil from the shale. A car park and path lead down, and note the rock cannot be hammered as it is protected ground.
It is an intriguing stretch of coast and an easy trip north from Taunton.
East Quantoxhead Beach
Photo: Derek Harper via Geograph.org.uk
Discover East Quantoxhead Beach Next door to Kilve, East Quantoxhead Beach is another rocky, fossil-rich shore on the Bristol Channel. Low cliffs of grey Blue Lias, banded mudstone and hard limestone rise behind a wide platform of rock ledges that the tide draws off at low water.
Ammonites weather out of the rock, and rock pools fill among the ledges. There is no parking at the beach, which is reached by a footpath down from the village.
Quiet and unspoilt, it rewards anyone happy to walk the last stretch, and pairs neatly with Kilve for a day exploring the coast north of Taunton.
Lilstock Beach
Photo: Neil Owen via Geograph.org.uk
Explore Lilstock Beach A little further along, west of Watchet, Lilstock Beach is a remote rocky foreshore on the Bristol Channel. Below low crumbling cliffs, the shore is a wave-cut platform of dark shale and pale limestone ledges, mixed with shingle, sand and mud, looking out toward the island of Steep Holm.
The rock beds hold fossils from the very end of the Triassic and start of the Jurassic, around two hundred million years old, and ammonites, belemnites and even marine reptile bones have turned up here. It is a protected geological site, with a small car park set back in the hamlet and a short track down to the shore.
St Audries Bay Waterfall
Photo: Roger Cornfoot via Geograph.org.uk
Find St Audries Bay Waterfall Also near Watchet, St Audries Bay Waterfall is a coastal fall where a stream drops straight down the cliff onto the beach. You can reach the base of the falls on foot along the shore only when the tide is out, so check timings before you set off.
The bay is a well-known spot for fossils, its layered cliffs from the very end of the Triassic and start of the Jurassic yielding ammonites and other remains to those who search the fallen rock. It is a quiet stretch of coast reached down from the cliffs, with the Quantock hills rising behind, an easy trip from Taunton.
FAQs
Where can you find fossils near Taunton?
The Bristol Channel beaches at Kilve, East Quantoxhead and Lilstock, all around 21 kilometres north of Taunton, are known for ammonites and other fossils weathering out of the rock.
How tall is the Wellington Monument?
The Wellington Monument in the Blackdown Hills near Taunton is reckoned to be the tallest three-sided obelisk in the world, begun in 1817 and finished in 1854.
Is Trull Waterfall close to Taunton?
Yes, Trull Waterfall lies only about three kilometres south of Taunton, near the village of Trull, making it an easy short walk along the Sherford Brook.
Conclusion
From a little brook-side fall on the edge of town to windswept fossil beaches on the Bristol Channel, the country around Taunton serves up plenty of variety. History and views draw you south to the Wellington Monument, Culmstock Beacon and the lonely Burton Pynsent column, each a landmark rising above its own patch of Somerset and Devon.
The coast to the north is a treat for fossil hunters, with Kilve, East Quantoxhead and Lilstock laying out their ancient rock ledges, while St Audries Bay adds a waterfall to the mix. Whether you prefer a hilltop ramble or a low-tide scramble among the ammonites, remember to check the tide before heading down: these are the places to visit near Taunton.
