Land of myths and legends: the Somerset Levels offer wild wetlands, rich history... and incredible birdlife
James Litston explores the Somerset Levels, which cover almost 700 km². “The legends of King Arthur are woven into the landscape,” he writes READ MORE: Britain's best camping and caravanning sites for 2024 revealed
On the wide and open Somerset Levels it is wonderfully sleepy. On a walk through the marshes from the village of Westonzoyland, there is absolutely no one else around.
A stone marker in a fenced area is the only indication this location could be important. Without this memorial, you would never know that this squelchy field was the scene of a bloody conflict almost 340 years ago.
The Battle of Sedgemoor ended the Monmouth Rebellion, which sought to depose King James II in 1685.
It's not the only historical flashpoint of the region. Somewhere here was the secret redoubt from which Alfred the Great fought Danish invaders before uniting the Saxon kingdoms to form England.
And across the Glastonbury levels, the abbey (now in ruins) was once the richest country in the country: a fact not lost on King Henry VIII, who claimed all its possessions.
On the wide and open Somerset Levels it is wonderfully sleepy. On a walk through the marshes from the village of Westonzoyland, there is absolutely no one else around.
A stone marker in a fenced area is the only indication this location could be important. Without this memorial, you would never know that this squelchy field was the scene of a bloody conflict almost 340 years ago.
The Battle of Sedgemoor ended the Monmouth Rebellion, which sought to depose King James II in 1685.
It's not the only historical flashpoint of the region. Somewhere here was the secret redoubt from which Alfred the Great fought Danish invaders before uniting the Saxon kingdoms to form England.
And across the Glastonbury levels, the abbey (now in ruins) was once the richest country in the country: a fact not lost on King Henry VIII, who claimed all its possessions.
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