Bridgwater and West Somerset stretches over 60 miles from the levels of Sedgemoor to the heights of Exmoor. The constituency is huge – 500 square miles. The map on this page provides an idea of the shape of the place. It is an artificial grouping of different towns and villages so that around 70,000 constituents can be represented by a single MP. The big towns are Bridgwater and Minehead. The tiny towns and picturesque villages are far too numerous to put on a map of this size. And the constituency has just grown in recent years, taking in additional parts of Exmoor like Dulverton. If you need precise details about the constituency geography please look at Ordnance Survey’s election maps
How to get here? And what will you find when you arrive? The M5 is close. Taking the train can be a pain, because Minehead is not on the normal rail network and Bridgwater is only accessible on a branch from Bristol……so go London-to-Bristol fast and Bristol-to-Bridgwater at a gentler pace! Alternatively try London-to-Taunton and then chug back up on the branch line (courtesy of Virgin Trains) or catch a coach for the whole journey.
Trains:
- https://www.gwr.com/your-journey/journey-information/train-times-and-routes
- http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/
There used to be a rail network across the whole area. Unfortunately Dr Beeching got rid of it. But if you get to the coast and you can still travel aboard one of the wonderful West Somerset Railway’s restored fleet of carriages. It carries almost 250,000 happy passengers every year and is maintained by a band of dedicated local enthusiasts. Like many voluntary projects the railway faces current financial pressures which I hope can be speedily solved.