Halfway between Exeter and Bristol, where the River Parrett winds toward the Bristol Channel, sits Bridgwater — a Somerset town that's been around since medieval times but is only now getting attention. Old shipbuilding and brick-and-tile trade gave way to renovation money and new business investment, and the result is a place with genuine momentum that most travellers still speed past on the M5.

Its claim to fame is the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, widely regarded as the UK's oldest, with roots stretching back to the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. What began as masked revellers dancing around a central bonfire is now one of Europe's biggest illuminated processions. Held on the first Saturday of November, it draws tens of thousands: live music on multiple stages all day, then marching bands and enormous carnival carts lit up from bumper to mast. The finale is 'Squibbing' on the High Street, where hundreds of fireworks are set off at once — something you won't see anywhere else in the country.

The other 364 days of the year, Bridgwater rewards a slow wander. The Cornhill historic centre has a small plaza, a domed Corn Exchange, and a statue of Admiral Robert Blake, the town's most famous son and founder of the modern navy. A few blocks away, the Blake Museum occupies a 16th-century stone house believed to be his birthplace, with six rooms covering local history from the maritime era through both world wars. Streets like Salmon Parade, lined with old fishermen's houses along the river, make the docks and marina an easy afternoon stroll.

Food-wise, the town punches above its weight. Cafe Karma does a well-loved brunch, while Somerset Bakehouse — spread across several locations — sells handmade breads, sausage rolls and the 'manchip', a jam-filled pastry found only in Bridgwater and famously hard to track down (local intel says Fridays are your best bet). For a pint, The Malt Shovel occupies a Tudor-style building with a big garden and tops the town's TripAdvisor rankings, while The White Willow, a few miles south, does cask ales, Sunday roasts and homemade kebab.

If you need fresh air, Fyne Court is a landscaped estate about 20 minutes southwest with quiet walks and a courtyard cafe, and Little Clayhill Farm to the north offers farm activities for kids. Exmoor National Park — one of the UK's least-visited and most underrated, with proper coastal scenery — is within reach for a bigger dose of West Somerset wilderness.

Practically speaking, Bridgwater is easy: roughly an hour's drive from Exeter or Bristol, a short detour off the M5 (keep an eye out for Humphrey the Camel, a homemade carnival statue that has stood in a farmer's field by the motorway since the early '80s), and a straightforward train ride from Bristol International Airport. London is about 3.5 hours away. It works as a pit stop en route to the southwest coast, but the carnival, the history and the food make a night or two worth your while — especially if you time it for early November.

Story source: Islands.