Alan Payling pays a visit to a small cathedral city in Somerset that has a lot to offer coach parties – and will only get better
It’s a shame we haven’t taken greater care of some of our towns and cities. While some have been blighted by poor planning decisions and out of town developments, many are now being hollowed out by changes in the retail market. So it’s a delight to visit a city that treasures its history, that cherishes the architecture it has inherited and offers shoppers a vibrant and varied shopping centre with bi-weekly indoor and outdoor markets that are a pleasure to wander round. And that’s not to mention the many and varied festivals the city hosts.
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I’m talking about the compact city of Wells in Somerset. Sitting just south of the Mendip Hills, motorways and dual carriageways are a ways off. But that adds to the charm of the drive to the city whichever direction you come from. I travelled to Wells from Bristol along the A37 and the A39. As old ‘A’ roads take you along the eastern flank of the scenic Mendip Hills, the journey there felt like having a leisurely drive through England at the beginning of the age of the car. The road meandered and wriggled through the delightfully named villages of Temple Cloud in the Chew Valley, Farrington Gurney and Chewton Mendip that all have stories to tell.
Descending carefully into Wells from the north through the bluebell woods of Pen Hill harks back to what it must have been like for medieval pilgrims making their way to see one of the wonders of the middle ages, Wells Cathedral. Driving into Wells today, I noticed an abundance of signs directing coach drivers to the setting down point – a very helpful touch.
Given that Wells is only a few miles from Bath, it might be tempting to offer that Georgian star as the primary destination while visiting this part of the world. I wouldn’t totally disagree, but when I’ve visited Bath recently, it’s experiencing over exposure to international travellers.
Like other mega-popular tourist trail cities such as Amsterdam and Venice, Bath is suffering from the way that bodies like Airbnb and the growth of travel from places like China are changing so many places, and not for the better.
As a result, Bath is being transformed into an international destination city on too many bucket lists where the only thing going for it is the architecture. Impressive though that may be, if the local population has been squeezed and priced out, the character and atmosphere of the city suffers.
That’s why a place like Wells offers an awful lot by way of its warm, West Country, Somerset personality having local people still living, working and trading in the city. Being something of a compact hidden gem, Wells will delight and enchant first time – and repeat – visitors, especially if they go by coach.
I had a taste of how welcoming and friendly Wells is for the coach trade when I made a few calls to get information about the city. Well, if you’ll pardon the pun, the people I spoke to from Wells Cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace & Gardens, Wells Museum, the local paper Wells Voice, and the meet and greeters that await anyone arriving by coach, couldn’t do enough to help me.
As a taste of what awaits a coach operator, the welcome was exemplary. As an example, Moira Anderson told me: “As the Group Administrator at The Bishop’s Palace it is a pleasure to share this special place and to welcome group visitors here throughout the year. I love working with tour operators and Group Travel Organisers to help make their groups’ visits as easy to arrange as possible. The best part of my role is being able to welcome the groups on the day of their visit.”
You can rest assured Moira is not the only person in Wells that expresses such sentiments about how coach-friendly the city is. In fact, it would actually be more accurate to refer to Wells as being ‘Coach Enthusiastic,’ so willing, ready and able are they to welcome coaches here.
An awarding city
This enthusiasm to get it right has been reflected in a number of awards from the coach trade. They were helped on their way by the expertise of and the way that Ian Jeffries, Tourism Consultant for Visit by Coach, brought local people together from Wells Cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace & Gardens, Visit Wells (currently coordinated by Wells Museum), the Civic Society and the Chamber of Commerce.
There will be those who recall the work Ian was involved in in making Burnham-on-Sea an increasingly popular and accommodating destination for the coach trade. His work there led to Burnham receiving the Coach Friendly Status award from the CPT in 2014 and at the Coach Tourism Awards in 2016 was recognised as the Coach Friendly Destination of the Year.
Turning his attention to Wells, and working closely in conjunction with interested partners, the city has been recognised for its efforts to cater for coach parties. In 2017, The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens and Wells Cathedral were awarded the CPT’s ‘Coach Friendly Attraction Status.’ In 2018 Wells was shortlisted for the ‘Coach Friendly Destination of the Year’ award at the British Coach Tourism Awards, an award it then won in 2019. No surprise then that, like Burnham, coach visits to Wells are on the up.
A friendly greeting
As you can imagine for a destination that has been carefully scrutinised by the CPT, the facilities for coach passengers, drivers and their vehicles are impressive and designed to attract and welcome coach parties. Moreover, the big news that will delight coach operators is that parking a coach in the Princes Street coach park is free. This common sense, good-for-business approach by the local authority, Mendip District Council, will be reviewed in 2020. But no doubt, there will be many in the city, who, benefiting from increasing numbers of coach visitors emptying their wallets and purses in the local shops, eateries, markets and attractions will be persuaded of the wisdom, long advocated by the coach trade, of not exploiting the hand that feeds you.
Although there is a very handy drop-off point in Sadler Street, due to limited space there, drivers are encouraged to head to the coach park to disembark their groups. As there is only space for one coach in Sadler Street, if a second or a third arrives, it quickly brings Wells to a standstill.
This was something I witnessed for myself when a local operator, bringing a wedding party to the city in two coaches, blocked Sadler Street. Plans are afoot to limit the Sadler Street drop off for the use of drivers with disabled or limited mobility passengers on board.
By going to the coach park to use one of the eight bays in what is an international coach park replete with multi-lingual signage, there is a much warmer welcome in prospect from enthusiastic locals who act as meet and greeters.
These volunteers can supply passengers and drivers alike with all the information they need, including maps, to make the most of their visit. Operators can also get in touch with the town crier, Len Sweales, to make an appearance in the coach park. Just give him a shout, and he’ll be there – oh yay!
Because there is a little walk to the main market square and to the big attractions of Wells Cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace and Gardens, operators will therefore be wise to provide for a longer stay in Wells. This is not a place to stop for an hour. The walk through the bustling shops of the city centre is not unappealing, however. En route, visitors will be regaled by many groups of street musicians, some of whom look more like medieval minstrels and court jesters than bog standard buskers.
While the passengers make their way through the merry throng, drivers will be told where they will be ‘looked after’ in Wells by the meet and greeters. DVDs of the city are also available for drivers to show to their passengers. Drivers won’t go hungry in Wells, but please note, the meet and greeters do have to know when you’re coming.
The markets and shopping
Walking from the coach park along the almost traffic free High Street into Market Place, visitors will notice what a vibrant place this is. It also has a touch of class and was described by someone I was speaking to about the city as being a ‘Waitrose type of place.’ Certainly, the main shopping area has not suffered like other centres with retail closures, offering a wide selection of national chains, interesting individual shops and eating and drinking places aplenty.
Visitors on Wednesdays and Saturdays will find the top end of the city centre gently buzzing due to the bi-weekly markets. Amongst many stalls, the hungry passenger can enjoy a wide selection of street food. While there is a varied choice in the established eating houses, the ‘artisans’ in the market offer an eclectic choice. Think here of wraps, olives, falafels and hummus for example with the emphasis being on organic produce. The event that was taking place in the Town Hall when I visited was the Antiques and Craft Fair which caught my attention for a good half an hour.
Bishop’s Palace and Gardens
From the lively hubbub of Market Place, the visitor can step quickly through the archway that leads to the Bishop’s Palace and Gardens to be met by an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Surrounded by high walls, the change of atmosphere is dramatic though very appealing.
Just inside the grounds, the Bishop’s Table cafe is an award-winning eatery recognised by Visit England. This I can vouch for, and having been welcomed by George LeRoy of the Bishop’s Palace, I was not only invited to smell the coffee, but to taste it – and a smashing piece of Lemon Drizzle Cake too. Eating outside overlooking the croquet lawn – yes, please keep off the grass – will delight your passengers. They can enjoy the cakes or a Somerset Cream Tea among other delights with no one worried in this part of the world about the order in which they add the cream and the jam to their scone.
During my visit I lingered awhile in the gardens of the Bishop’s Palace being blessed with some glorious May sunshine as the interior of the palace was off limits due to a grand wedding taking place. No matter, the gardens and the views from the ramparts of the palace walls are a delight and a place in which to wander, dawdle and relax.
Wells Cathedral
Having meandered in other parts of the city, I didn’t see an awful lot of the cathedral, alas, as time was getting on. However, what I did see – and hear – was awesome. Coming out of the Bishop’s Palace, I entered Cathedral Green via Penniless Porch, a dark archway. And wow, was I stunned by what I saw.
Penniless Porch suddenly opens out into the spacious green dominated by the cathedral’s magnificent West Front. This was bathed in glorious late afternoon May sunshine making the yellow limestone glow in the brilliant light. Coupled with the visual display in front of me, the bell ringers were having a thunderous ding ding going at their ropes like the clappers! The combination of the sight and sounds of Wells Cathedral will stay with me for a long time. There are of course great wonders inside, but hey, I’m going back, I love this place.
Other places nearby
When I was planning this article I thought about adding places nearby that operators could include to fill out a day’s excursion. No, I was wrong there, so please don’t. Mainly because your passengers won’t thank you for it. There is plenty here for everyone however varied the group.
The shops and the market will occupy a good couple of hours while deciding on where to eat and then having lunch will take up time. There may well be an event taking place that takes up yet more time. Then there is the cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace and Gardens and the museum. Even if the splendour and the contents of those buildings should not appeal, the gardens are a delight to be savoured by many.
Moreover, this is not a city to rush about in. This is a very laid-back sort of place where taking your time makes the visit all the more enjoyable, even if visitors don’t cram everything in. That would take more than a day’s visit though. I did say it above, but I will emphasise the point, this is not a place to stay for an hour. I spent six hours there and there was still so much to see. So much I also want to see again the next time I visit.
If – shall we make that when – you’re planning a visit, give them a ring to discover what’s going on in the city. This is a lively place so there’s a good chance something will be happening. Space limits me from highlighting all such events but as an example, I did notice in my local paper that an operator nearby my home in South Devon is taking bookings for an excursion for the Garden Festival at the Bishop’s Palace in the summer. If you want to know, ask. They will be delighted to tell you, chapter and verse.
Feedback welcome
Even though the city offers an extremely warm welcome to coach business, they are not standing still but are looking to make improvements. Electric scooter hire is one option being considered as is joint ticketing and guiding packages for the cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace and the museum.
And this is where you come in. They want to know what you think. Think something could be improved? Then don’t think about it, let them know. They’re all ears in Wells. After all, had they not listened to the advice they received about the potential of the coach trade, they would have been a lot worse off and the facilities would have been second rate.
As they listen, they are willing to listen to you. As you can no doubt tell, I loved the place. I really did not want to leave, so thank you Wells, I’ll be back. I’ll see you there perhaps – sometime soon? It will be good for business.
Contact details
- Call Ian Jeffries for general information about Wells Cathedral, Bishop’s Palace and Gardens, Wells Museum and events on 07903 463 700 or email at [email protected]
- Bishop’s Palace & Gardens 01749 988 111 ext 203
- Well’s Cathedral 01749 671 663
- Wells Museum 01749 673 477
- Call Ross Young to organise meet and greeters to welcome you on 07721 523 487 or 01749 671 874
- Email Wells Town Crier, Len Sweales on [email protected]
