A little-known village on the edge of Bristol feels like visiting the Alps. Compton Martin is located in the Mendips and has seen murders, hermits and several land feuds in its time.
Filled with beautiful old homes, a Somerset Live reporter spent a glorious sunny morning exploring the village and felt transported to somewhere far away, like the foothills of the French Alps or somewhere in the Lake District.
Here's what she discovered:
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Wandering down The Street, with a view up to The Combe - where little white cottages cling to the hill - I half expected to hear cowbells ringing through the valley. Two real dairy herds lay just a stone's throw away and Compton Martin itself used to be a real farming hotspot.
One of the oldest buildings nearby is Moat Farm - an impressive medieval pile that started life as "Bickfield Manor". Anyone who walks down the main street cannot help but be wowed by Earls Farm - a colossal white house near the post office - which, amazingly, is still operating today.
I spoke to John, who bought this house in 2004, after initially hoping for somewhere in Wrington. He welcomed me inside. He showed me a beautiful wooden staircase that wouldn't look out of place in Wolf Hall. Then he went on to explain that the porch at the front door, which has two intriguing benches inside, was added to the original farmhouse in the 19th century.
I think we can all agree, thanks to its location in the AONB, but within easy reach of Bristol, this little village has a lot going for it. Just up the winding A368, you'll find the Blagdon Lake, Rickford church, and Burrington Combe - a bijou Cheddar Gorge.
Village history
The FitzMartin family enjoyed a few prosperous years in ownership of the village before things began to go wrong. One of their number - Alice - married Ralph Wake, who came from a family based near Ilminster.
However, she did little for Compton's reputation. She murdered her husband and was burned at the stake - plunging the family name into disrepute.
A handy booklet compiled by the Compton Martin History Society describes how this prompted a land dispute during which the village was overrun by armed men, who had to be evicted by the king.
Reviews
Reviewers were equally as impressed on TripAdvisor. One person wrote about the village's Ring O Bells : "The food and ambience was so good we returned twice more."
Another said: "The weather was awful and we fancied a nice roast in a country pub and this did not disappoint. We felt welcomed and were taken to our table but noticed a window table had come vacant and we were happily accommodated."
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