The county of Somerset with its varied countryside and long history lies in the southwest of England, bordering the coast along the Bristol Channel. An agricultural region, it has been a focus of human habitation for 12,000 years with many of its towns and cities of strategic importance in Roman times.

With cheap car hire in Somerset, touring this lovely corner of England is made easy. The city of Bath, a major Roman settlement on the Fosse Way, and beautiful Wells, with its stunning Gothic cathedral, are both within reach. The stone circle at Stanton Drew and the Mendip caves are where it all began.

The area around Glastonbury is the cradle of Christianity in England, and the source of the Avalonian and Arthurian legends of the Holy Grail. In the grounds of the ruined medieval Abbey is the holy thorn tree, believed to have grown from Joseph of Arimathea’s staff, and the reputed grave of the legendary King Arthur.

The cities of Wells and Bath are a shopper’s delight, and Glastonbury has been known since the 60s for its crystals, incense and alternative lifestyle items as well as for its amazing music festival, modelled on Woodstock. Local villages have quaint pubs which serve all kinds of food along with scrumpy, the traditional local cider.

Car rental in Somerset can take you farther afield to Exmoor National Park or to the coastal resorts, set in lovely bays overlooked by cliffs with spectacular views from their tops across the estuary of the River Severn. A visit to the caves of the famous Cheddar Gorge, (don’t forget to taste the traditional Cheddar Cheese) is easy with car hire in Somerset.