Editing Somerset (section)

==Geography==
===Boundaries===
[[File:Bristol MMB «D0 Avon Gorge.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Avon Gorge]], the historic boundary between Gloucestershire and Somerset, and also [[Mercia]] and [[Wessex]]; Somerset is to the left]]
The boundaries of Somerset are largely unaltered from medieval times. The main change has been in the north, where the [[River Avon (Bristol)|River Avon]] formed the border with Gloucestershire, except that the [[Hundred (county division)|hundred]] of [[Bath Forum]], which straddles the Avon, formed part of Somerset. Bristol began as a town on the Gloucestershire side of the Avon, but as it grew it extended across the river into Somerset. In 1373 [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] proclaimed "that the town of Bristol with its suburbs and precincts shall henceforth be separate from the counties of Gloucester and Somerset&nbsp;... and that it should be a [[City and County of Bristol|county by itself]]".<ref>{{cite book|last=Myers|first=Alec Reginald|author2=Douglas, David Charles|title=English Historical Documents 1327–1485|publisher=Routledge|year=1996|page=560|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRsLUVOCqbkC|isbn=978-0-415-14369-1|access-date=6 June 2009|archive-date=28 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528144125/https://books.google.com/books?id=jRsLUVOCqbkC|url-status=live}}</ref>

The present-day northern border of Somerset (adjoining the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire) runs along the southern bank of the Avon from the Bristol Channel, then follows around the southern edge of the Bristol built-up area, before continuing upstream along the Avon and then diverges from the river to include Bath and its historic hinterland to the north of the Avon, before meeting Wiltshire at the ''Three Shire Stones'' on the ''[[Fosse Way]]'' at [[Batheaston]].<ref name=ordnances>[[Ordnance Survey]] mapping</ref>

===Cities and towns===
{{See also|List of places in Somerset|List of settlements in Somerset by population|Category:Populated places in Somerset}}
Somerton took over from [[Ilchester]] as the [[county town]] in the late thirteenth century,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/Somerset_EUS_Somerton.pdf |title=Somerton |first1=Miranda |last1=Richardson |work=English Heritage Extensive Urban Survey |publisher=Somerset County Ciouncil |access-date=26 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060810/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/Somerset_EUS_Somerton.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> but it declined in importance and the status of county town transferred to [[Taunton]] about 1366.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/pdf/8/1/Somerton_full_version_plan__no_appendix__low_resolution.pdf |title=A town plan for Somerton |publisher=South Somerset Council |access-date=7 January 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080227210337/http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/pdf/8/1/Somerton_full_version_plan__no_appendix__low_resolution.pdf| archive-date = 27 February 2008}}</ref> The county has two [[City status in the United Kingdom|cities]], [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]], and [[:Category:Towns in Somerset|30 towns]] (including the county town of Taunton, which has no town council but instead is the chief settlement of the county's only extant [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough]]). The largest urban areas in terms of population are Bath, [[Weston-super-Mare]], Taunton, [[Yeovil]] and [[Bridgwater]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-areas-in-the-south-west---wales/urban-areas-in-the-south-west---wales-part-1.pdf |title=Census 2001: Key Statistics for urban areas in the South West and Wales |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=31 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531080151/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-areas-in-the-south-west---wales/urban-areas-in-the-south-west---wales-part-1.pdf |archive-date=31 May 2012 }}</ref>

Many settlements developed because of their strategic importance in relation to geographical features, such as river crossings or valleys in ranges of hills. Examples include [[Axbridge]] on the [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]], [[Castle Cary]] on the [[River Cary]], [[North Petherton]] on the [[River Parrett]], and [[Ilminster]], where there was a crossing point on the [[River Isle]]. [[Midsomer Norton]] lies on the [[River Somer]]; while the [[Wellow Brook]] and the ''Fosse Way'' [[Roman roads in Britain|Roman road]] run through Radstock. [[Chard, Somerset|Chard]] is the most southerly town in Somerset and one of the highest, though at an altitude of {{convert|126|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} [[Wiveliscombe]] is the highest town in the county.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

=== Green belt ===
{{main|Avon Green Belt}}
The county contains several-miles-wide sections of the Avon [[green belt]] area, which is primarily in place to prevent [[urban sprawl]] from the [[Bristol Built-up Area|Bristol]] and Bath built up areas encroaching into the rural areas of North Somerset,<ref>{{cite web|title=North Somerset Futures Local Development Framework - North Somerset Green Belt Assessment - South West of Bristol|url=https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SD-50-green-belt-assessment-South-West-of-Bristol.pdf|website=www.n-somerset.gov.uk|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-date=13 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113093244/https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SD-50-green-belt-assessment-South-West-of-Bristol.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Bath and North East Somerset,<ref>{{cite web|title=Bath & North East Somerset Green Belt Review|url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning-and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Evidence-Base/Environment/gbr_stage1_report.pdf|website=www.bathnes.gov.uk|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-date=18 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918163736/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning-and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Evidence-Base/Environment/gbr_stage1_report.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and Mendip<ref>{{cite web|title=Protecting and Enhancing Environmental Assets|url=http://www.mendip.gov.uk/localplan2002/HTML%20Statement/html_statment/09_protecting_enhancing_7.html|website=www.mendip.gov.uk|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-date=13 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113093208/http://www.mendip.gov.uk/localplan2002/HTML%20Statement/html_statment/09_protecting_enhancing_7.html|url-status=live}}</ref> districts in the county, as well as maintaining surrounding countryside. It stretches from the coastline between the towns of [[Portishead, Somerset|Portishead]] and [[Clevedon]], extending eastwards past [[Nailsea]], around the Bristol conurbation, and through to the city of Bath. The green belt border intersects with the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) along its south boundary, and meets the Cotswolds AONB by its eastern extent along the Wiltshire county border, creating an extended area protected from inappropriate development.

===Geology===
{{Main|Geology of Somerset}}
{{See also|List of hills of Somerset}}Much of the landscape of Somerset falls into types determined by the underlying geology. These landscapes are the limestone [[karst]] and [[Early Jurassic|lias]] of the north, the clay [[valley|vales]] and [[wetland]]s of the centre, the [[oolite]]s of the east and south, and the [[Devonian]] [[sandstone]] of the west.<ref>{{cite web|title=Somerset Geology |work=Good Rock Guide |url=http://people.bath.ac.uk/exxbgs/Somerset_Good_Rock_Guide.pdf |access-date=26 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105348/http://people.bath.ac.uk/exxbgs/Somerset_Good_Rock_Guide.pdf |archive-date= 4 March 2016 }}</ref>
[[File:Uk som brue.jpg|thumb|The [[River Brue]] in an artificial channel draining farmland near [[Glastonbury]]]]

To the north-east of the Somerset Levels, the Mendip Hills are moderately high [[limestone]] hills. The central and western Mendip Hills was designated an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] in 1972 and covers {{convert|198|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}<!--The source quoted gives the area in square km--->.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/faqs/ |title=Frequently Asked Questions |work=Mendip Hills AONB |access-date=10 July 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716223541/http://www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/faqs/ |archive-date=16 July 2011 }}</ref> The main [[habitat]] on these hills is [[calcareous grassland]], with some [[arable land|arable]] agriculture. To the south-west of the Somerset Levels are the [[Quantock Hills]] which was England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designated in 1956<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thequantockhills.co.uk/page/welcome_to_quantock/the_quantock_hills1/ |title=The Quantock Hills |publisher=Quantock Hills AONB |access-date=26 May 2015 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526233538/http://www.thequantockhills.co.uk/page/welcome_to_quantock/the_quantock_hills1/ |archive-date=26 May 2015 }}</ref> which is covered in heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands with plantations of conifer and covers 99 square kilometres. The Somerset Coalfield is part of a larger coalfield which stretches into [[Gloucestershire]]. To the north of the Mendip hills is the [[Chew Valley]] and to the south, on the [[clay]] substrate, are broad valleys which support dairy farming and drain into the Somerset Levels.

===Caves and rivers===
There is an extensive network of [[Caves of the Mendip Hills|caves]], including Wookey Hole, underground rivers, and [[canyon|gorges]], including the Cheddar Gorge and [[Ebbor Gorge]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Somerset | work=English Nature, Special Sites, Somerset Geology | url=http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/geodiversity/englands/counties/area_ID30.aspx | access-date=13 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329003609/http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/geodiversity/englands/counties/area_ID30.aspx|archive-date=29 March 2014}}</ref> The county has many rivers, including the Axe, [[River Brue|Brue]], Cary, Parrett, [[River Sheppey|Sheppey]], [[River Tone|Tone]] and [[Congresbury Yeo|Yeo]]. These both feed and drain the flat levels and moors of mid and west Somerset.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.somersetrivers.org/ |title=Somerset Rivers |publisher=Somerset Rivers |access-date=14 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718103718/http://somersetrivers.org/ |archive-date=18 July 2010 }}</ref> In the north of the county the [[River Chew]] flows into the [[River Avon (Bristol)|Bristol Avon]]. The Parrett is tidal almost to [[Langport]], where there is evidence of two Roman wharfs.<ref name=hadfield>[[Charles Hadfield (historian)|Hadfield, Charles]] (1999). ''Canals of Southern England''. London: Phoenix House Ltd.</ref> At the same site during the reign of [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]], river tolls were levied on boats to pay for the maintenance of the bridge.<ref name=hadfield/>

===Levels and moors===
[[File:Glastonbury (part of) from the tor arp.jpg|thumb|The town of Glastonbury looking west from the top of Glastonbury Tor. The fields in the distance are the Somerset Levels.]]
The Somerset Levels (or Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known) are a sparsely populated [[wetland]] area of central Somerset, between the Quantock and Mendip hills. They consist of marine clay levels along the coast, and the inland (often [[peat]] based) moors. The Levels are divided into two by the [[Polden Hills]]. Land to the south is drained by the [[River Parrett]] while land to the north is drained by the River Axe and the River Brue. The total area of the Levels amounts to about {{convert|647.5|km2|acre|-1}}<ref name="robinwilliams">{{cite book|last1=Williams |first1=Robin |first2=Romey |last2=Williams |title=The Somerset Levels |year=1992 |publisher=Ex Libris Press |location=Bradford on Avon |isbn=0-948578-38-6}}</ref>
and broadly corresponds to the administrative district of [[Sedgemoor]] but also includes the south west of [[Mendip District|Mendip district]]. Approximately 70% of the area is grassland and 30% is arable.<ref name="robinwilliams"/>

Stretching about {{convert|32|km|mi|0}} inland, this expanse of flat land barely rises above sea level. Before it was drained, much of the land was under a shallow [[brackish water|brackish sea]] in winter and was [[marsh|marsh land]] in summer. Drainage began with the Romans, and was restarted at various times: by the [[Anglo-Saxons]]; in the [[Middle Ages]] by the [[Glastonbury Abbey]], during 1400–1770; and during the Second World War, with the construction of the [[River Huntspill|Huntspill River]]. Pumping and management of water levels still continues.<ref name= williams>Williams, Michael (1970). ''The Draining of the Somerset Levels''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-07486-X}}.</ref>

[[File:Exmoors on Exmoor.jpg|right|alt=Three small brown horses on grassy area. In the distance are hills.|thumb|The Exmoor landscape with the native Exmoor Pony]]
The [[North Somerset Levels]] basin, north of the Mendips, covers a smaller geographical area than the Somerset Levels; and forms a coastal area around [[Avonmouth]]. It too was reclaimed by draining.<ref name=williams/><ref name=rippon>Rippon, Stephen (1997). ''The Severn Estuary: Landscape Evolution and Wetland Reclamation''. London: Leicester University. {{ISBN|0-7185-0069-5}}</ref> It is mirrored, across the [[Severn Estuary]], in Wales, by a similar low-lying area: the [[Caldicot and Wentloog Levels]].<ref name=rippon/>

In the far west of the county, running into Devon, is [[Exmoor]], a high Devonian sandstone [[moorland|moor]], which was designated as a [[national park]] in 1954, under the 1949 [[National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949|National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everythingexmoor.org.uk/ |title=Exmoor National Park Authority |work=Everything Exmoor |access-date=13 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109162044/http://www.everythingexmoor.org.uk/ |archive-date= 9 November 2010 }}</ref> The highest point in Somerset is [[Dunkery Hill|Dunkery Beacon]] on Exmoor, with a maximum elevation of {{convert|519|m|ft|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bathurst |first= David |year= 2012 |title= Walking the county high points of England |location= Chichester |publisher= Summersdale |isbn= 978-1-84-953239-6 |pages= 174–181}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mountaindays.net/mountains/peak.php?defn=0&area=37&peak=2889 |title=Dunkery Beacon |publisher=Mountaindays |access-date=7 November 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719132618/http://www.mountaindays.net/mountains/peak.php?defn=0&area=37&peak=2889 |archive-date=19 July 2011 }}</ref> Over 100 sites in Somerset have been designated as [[List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset|Sites of Special Scientific Interest]].

===Coastline===
[[File:Brean Down from Steepholm - geograph.org.uk - 93827.jpg|thumb|alt=Green covered rocky land in expanse of sea. Hills behind.|[[Brean Down]] from Steep Holm]]
[[File:Boats in Watchet Marina (geograph 3733635).jpg|alt=small boats lined up in harbour. Crane in the background & metal walkway in the foreground.|thumb|The marina in [[Watchet]]]]

The {{convert|64|km|mi|abbr=on}} coastline of the [[Bristol Channel]] and Severn Estuary forms part of the northern border of Somerset.<ref name="dandsfire">{{cite web |title=About The Service |url=http://www.dsfire.gov.uk/DevonFire/AboutUs/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623204445/http://www.dsfire.gov.uk/DevonFire/AboutUs/ |archive-date=23 June 2010 |access-date=20 October 2007 |publisher=Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue}}</ref>
The Bristol Channel has the second largest [[tidal range]] in the world. At [[Burnham-on-Sea]], for example, the tidal range of a spring tide is more than {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2005/07/04/bristolchannel_feature.shtml |title=Coast: Bristol Channel |publisher=BBC |access-date=27 August 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525130200/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2005/07/04/bristolchannel_feature.shtml |archive-date=25 May 2006 }}</ref>
Proposals for the construction of a [[Severn Barrage]] aim to harness this energy. The island of [[Steep Holm]] in the Bristol Channel is within the ceremonial county and is now administered by North Somerset Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7032/7032_iv.pdf |page=7 |publisher=[[Boundary Commission for England]] |title=Fifth periodical report&nbsp;– Volume 4 Mapping for the Non-Metropolitan Counties and the Unitary Authorities |date=26 February 2007 |access-date=6 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003090741/http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7032/7032_iv.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2013 }}</ref>

The main coastal towns are, from the west to the north-east, [[Minehead]], Watchet, Burnham-on-Sea, Weston-super-Mare, [[Clevedon]] and [[Portishead, Somerset|Portishead]]. The coastal area between Minehead and the eastern extreme of the administrative county's coastline at [[Brean Down]] is known as [[Bridgwater Bay]], and is a [[National nature reserves in England|National Nature Reserve]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/somersets-national-nature-reserves/somersets-national-nature-reserves#bridgwater-bay |title=Bridgwater Bay NNR |work=National Nature Reserves |publisher=Natural England |access-date=26 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526233526/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/somersets-national-nature-reserves/somersets-national-nature-reserves |archive-date=26 May 2015 }}</ref>
North of that, the coast forms [[Weston Bay]] and [[Sand Bay]] whose northern tip, [[Sand Point and Middle Hope|Sand Point]], marks the lower limit of the Severn Estuary.<ref name="osgb">{{cite map | publisher=Ordnance Survey | title=OS MasterMap}}</ref> In the mid and north of the county the coastline is low as the level wetlands of the levels meet the sea. In the west, the coastline is high and dramatic where the [[plateau]] of Exmoor meets the sea, with high cliffs and waterfalls.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.exmoorencyclopedia.org.uk/contents-list/35-c/252-coastline-close-to-exmoor-national-park.html | title=Cliff close to Exmoor National Park | publisher=Everything Exmoor | access-date=10 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407105123/http://www.exmoorencyclopedia.org.uk/contents-list/35-c/252-coastline-close-to-exmoor-national-park.html|archive-date=7 April 2012}}</ref>

===Climate===
Along with the rest of [[South West England]], Somerset has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country.<ref name="weather">{{cite web|title=South West England: climate |publisher=Met Office |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/regional-climates/sw |access-date=26 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060225164404/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/location/southwestengland/index.html |archive-date=25 February 2006 }}</ref> The annual mean temperature is approximately {{convert|10|°C|°F|1}}. [[Temperate climate|Seasonal temperature variation]] is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately {{convert|21|°C|°F|1}}. In winter mean minimum temperatures of {{convert|1|°C|°F|1}} or {{convert|2|°C|°F|1}} are common.<ref name="weather"/> In the summer the [[Azores]] high pressure affects the south-west of England, but [[Convection|convective]] cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600&nbsp;hours.<ref name="weather"/>

In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton. Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused by [[Low-pressure area|Atlantic depressions]] or by convection. Most of the rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which is when they are most active. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around {{convert|700|mm|abbr=on}}. About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.<ref name="weather"/>

{{Weather box
|location = [[Yeovilton]], England (1981–2010) data
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 8.1
|Feb high C = 8.3
|Mar high C = 10.6
|Apr high C = 12.9
|May high C = 16.5
|Jun high C = 19.3
|Jul high C = 21.7
|Aug high C = 21.5
|Sep high C = 18.6
|Oct high C = 14.8
|Nov high C = 11.1
|Dec high C = 9.0
|year high C = 14.4
|Jan mean C = 4.8
|Feb mean C = 4.8
|Mar mean C = 6.7
|Apr mean C = 8.3
|May mean C = 11.7
|Jun mean C = 14.5
|Jul mean C = 16.8
|Aug mean C = 16.6
|Sep mean C = 14.1
|Oct mean C = 10.9
|Nov mean C = 7.4
|Dec mean C = 5.7
|year mean C = 10.2
|Jan low C = 1.4
|Feb low C = 1.3
|Mar low C = 2.7
|Apr low C = 3.7
|May low C = 6.8
|Jun low C = 9.7
|Jul low C = 11.9
|Aug low C = 11.7
|Sep low C = 9.6
|Oct low C = 6.9
|Nov low C = 3.6
|Dec low C = 2.4
|year low C = 6.0
|Jan precipitation mm = 72.0
|Feb precipitation mm = 55.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 56.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 47.3
|May precipitation mm = 48.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 57.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 48.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 56.6
|Sep precipitation mm = 64.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 67.9
|Nov precipitation mm = 65.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 83.3
|year precipitation mm = 724.5
|Jan rain days = 12.5
|Feb rain days = 10.2
|Mar rain days = 10.9
|Apr rain days = 9.2
|May rain days = 8.8
|Jun rain days = 8.5
|Jul rain days = 6.9
|Aug rain days = 8.6
|Sep rain days = 10.1
|Oct rain days = 11.3
|Nov rain days = 11.6
|Dec rain days = 12.6
|year rain days = 121.2
|Jan sun = 50.2
|Feb sun = 68.9
|Mar sun = 107.6
|Apr sun = 155.4
|May sun = 193.1
|Jun sun = 186.0
|Jul sun = 205.8
|Aug sun = 197.8
|Sep sun = 139.8
|Oct sun = 101.1
|Nov sun = 70.2
|Dec sun = 46.8
|year sun = 1522.7
|source 1 = Met Office<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gcn45vme7 |title=Yeovilton 1981–2010 averages |publisher=Met Office |access-date=26 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526214259/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gcn45vme7 |archive-date=26 May 2015 }}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}