Somerset’s captivating countryside can certainly stir the emotions, and has fed the imagination of some of Britain’s greatest poets.

The Romantic movement of the late 1700s owes much to Somerset’s rugged moors and rolling hills. It was the stunning landscape of the Quantock Hills that inspired Samuel Taylor Coleridge to produce some of his best known work, and it was here that his friendships with fellow poets William Wordsworth and Robert Southey flourished.

Let us fire your imagination as we explore the landscapes that inspired the well-known verses of Somerset’s famous Romantic poets.

Coleridge Cottage by Andrew Riley

Explore Coleridge’s enchanting cottage in Nether Stowey, a small village tucked at the foot of the Quantock Hills. The cottage is now a National Trust museum, displaying some of his personal mementos. It includes an ‘I Spy’ children’s trail and is open in the summer months. Samuel Coleridge lived in this 17th-century cottage for three years, from 1797. It was during his time here in Somerset that Coleridge wrote his finest works, including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan, Frost at Midnight, The Nightingale, Cristabel and This Lime Tree Bower my Prison.

The statue of the Ancient Mariner at Watchet Harbour by Robin Drayton

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, inspired by a neighbour’s nightmare about a spectre ship, features the local port of Watchet. Take a stroll around the pretty, narrow streets of this historic town and view the sculpture in the harbour of the Ancient Mariner with the albatross hung around his neck. The town has two museums documenting its Viking and maritime history and also boasts a station for the West Somerset Steam Railway.
 

Porlock Bay by Shirokazan

Follow Coleridge’s footsteps along his favourite coastal walk, near Porlock. He tried to write down Kubla Khan while walking here, but a ‘man from Porlock interrupted him and he forgot most of his dream. This charming village is surrounded by Exmoor on three sides and boasts a quaint harbour and bay with views over the Bristol Channel.

Another friend of Coleridge’s, Robert Southey, was Poet Laureate and most famous for writing Goldilocks and the Three Bears. His poetry included vivid descriptions of the coast between Minehead and Dunster, and he was particularly inspired by a stay at the Ship Inn in Porlock where he composed the sonnet To Porlock. Visit The Ship Inn, a favourite meeting place for the two friends, and sample a home-cooked lunch and a locally brewed beer – look out for the fireside nook known as Southey’s Corner.
 

Culbone Church by Spencer Means

It is believed that Coleridge drew on the mystical atmosphere of Culbone Church, possibly 1,000 years old and the smallest church in England, for his images of Kubla Khan’s ‘Xanadu’. It has also been surmised that the poem’s ‘caverns measureless to man’ were Cheddar Gorge, which Coleridge had visited with Southey.
 

Kilve fossil beach by Ashley Coates

Visit ‘Kilve’s delightful shore’ at sunset – a favourite spot for the poetry of both Wordsworth and Coleridge. Kilve beach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a favourite haunt of geologists with its spectacular rock formations and fossils. Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy lived at a large house in Alfoxton nearby in 1797. This proved to be a very creative period for both Wordsworth and Coleridge, whose friendship led to the publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798 which marked the beginning of the English Romantic movement in literature.
 

Coleridge Way walkers by Jon Coole

The pair also walked regularly in the Quantocks and you can follow in their footsteps along the Coleridge Way, a spectacular 50-mile walking trail traversing the Quantocks and Exmoor, from Coleridge’s cottage in Nether Stowey, all the way to Lynmouth.

East Coker Almshouses by Nigel Mykura

Somerset also has close connections with the famous American poet, T.S. Eliot. Although Eliot’s ancestors had emigrated from East Coker to Massachusetts before his birth, he visited and felt a strong connection to the village. In 1940 he composed the poem East Coker, using the village as a metaphor for a meditation on time. On his death in 1965 his ashes were interred in East Coker Church.

Where to stay

Smiddy Cottage, near Dulverton

Now that we’ve waxed lyrical about Somerset’s famous Romantic poets, we hope we’ve given you poetic licence to book a stay at one of our self-catering Exmoor and Somerset holiday cottages. If you need any help or advice about where to stay, you can call our well-versed team on 01275 21 75 75.