The Best Autumn Picnic Spots in Somerset
Autumn is my season. I will not be argued with on this.
Something happens in September that I can't entirely explain. The light drops a degree or two and suddenly everything looks like it's been edited — golden, warm, slightly melancholy in the best possible way. The farm shops fill up with cider apples and pumpkins and the kind of root vegetables that make you want to cook something slow. The crowds that descended on Somerset all summer quietly pack up and go home, leaving the county to those of us who know that autumn is when it actually shows off.
There's also something about picnicking in autumn that feels more deliberate than it does in summer. In July you go outside because it's obvious. In October you go outside because you chose it. That choice changes the quality of the whole afternoon. You notice more. You stay longer. The food tastes better. The conversation goes somewhere real.
These are the spots I come back to, every year, with four children and an unreasonable number of blankets and soup in a flask that I am no longer embarrassed about.
“Autumn picnics aren't a consolation for summer being over. They're the reward for staying.”
1. Cheddar Gorge
October light + limestone cliffs + the moral obligation to bring Cheddar cheese.
In summer, Cheddar Gorge belongs to everyone. In October, it belongs to Somerset again.
The crowds thin out, the cliffs turn amber and gold with the season, and the gorge takes on a quieter, more dramatic quality — ancient and unhurried in a way that July doesn't quite allow for. The views from the top on a clear autumn morning are properly spectacular. Not 'nice view' spectacular. Stop-what-you're-doing spectacular.
Last October we packed the car and headed up there — me, four boys, a thermos of something warm and some homemade pumpkin bread that didn't survive the walk to the top. The boys charged ahead up the trail the way they always do, and I followed at the pace of someone who has learned that the view will still be there in five minutes. It was. It was extraordinary.
Cheddar in autumn rewards the people who show up for it. That's you, by the way.
What I'd pack: Cheddar cheese sandwiches — non-negotiable, you're basically obligated — warm cider, pumpkin bread if you're in the mood to make it. Strong tea in the best flask you own.
Practical tip: Arrive early and walk to the top before the day gets going. The light is best in the morning and you'll have the views mostly to yourself. Bring proper layers — it can be exposed up there even in September.
2. Lytes Cary Manor
National Trust glamour, medieval gardens, and the afternoon that doesn't need to go anywhere.
If you want somewhere that slows everything right down, Lytes Cary is the answer.
This National Trust manor sits in the middle of the Somerset countryside like it's been there forever — which it more or less has — surrounded by formal gardens, clipped hedges, meadows that stretch beyond the walls into genuine countryside peace. In autumn the last of the summer flowers gives way to something more considered, the stone walls hold the warmth of the afternoon long after the sun has moved, and the whole place takes on a quieter, more reflective quality.
We set up near the stone step and gate most times, blankets out, the thermos between us, the boys disappearing into the grounds to do whatever boys do when you stop supervising them. There's a slowness to Lytes Cary that I find almost nowhere else. The afternoon doesn't push you anywhere. You're just there, in it, for as long as you like.
I keep going back because it does something good to my nervous system. That's the whole review.
What I'd pack: Homemade soup in a good thermos — this spot deserves something warm and considered. Crusty bread. Seasonal fruit. Something small and sweet for the end. Leave the complicated spread for somewhere that needs impressing. Lytes Cary doesn't.
Practical tip: National Trust members, this is a must-add to your autumn list. The woodland walk nearby is particularly lovely as the leaves turn — factor in an extra twenty minutes for it.
3. Ham Hill Country Park
Big sky, sweeping views, and sunsets that look like someone turned the saturation up.
Ham Hill in autumn is the kind of place that makes you take a photo and then immediately feel that no photo will do it justice.
One of Somerset's largest country parks, it sits on a hilltop with views that stretch in every direction — you can watch the weather coming in from the west like a slow, dramatic announcement. The sunsets here in October are genuinely extraordinary: the sky turns orange and pink and the whole landscape goes golden in a way that makes even the most chronically-indoors person think that maybe they should have been outside more.
We ended up at Ham Hill for a sunset picnic once entirely by accident. We'd planned a walk, stayed too long talking, pulled out the scones and the flask as the light started to go. The boys were asleep in the car before we reached the main road. That picnic became one of those family memories that comes up at the dinner table years later.
It can get windy up there — bring an extra layer and something to weight the blanket down. Worth every bit of it.
What I'd pack: Scones and a proper flask of tea. Let the sky be the entertainment — it will not disappoint.
Practical tip: Go late afternoon for the golden hour. Bring something to sit on with a back — the hilltop is exposed and you'll want to stay longer than you think.
4. Kilve Beach
Rock pools, dramatic skies, and the specific joy of being the only ones there.
There's a version of Kilve Beach that exists only in autumn.
The summer visitors have gone and you get the rugged shoreline, the ancient rock pools, the wide flat ledges of limestone stretching into the sea — almost entirely to yourself. The coastal light in October is quite different to July's: lower, more dramatic, turning everything silver and gold. The sound of the waves is more present somehow. The sea air does that thing it does in cooler weather, where it gets properly into your lungs and rearranges things slightly.
My autumn tradition here is fish and chips from the village, eaten on the beach wrapped in whatever I can find in the boot of the car. There is genuinely nothing better. The children love the rock pools — there's always something to discover — and I get to sit on a piece of limestone and eat chips and watch the tide and feel like the luckiest person alive.
The sunset from Kilve in October, the colours reflecting off the cliffs, is worth driving for.
What I'd pack: Fish and chips if you can get them - it's the move, trust me. Otherwise: something hearty and portable, a very good thermos of tea, and enough layers to mean you're genuinely comfortable rather than stubbornly cold.
Practical tip: Check the tide times before you go — the rock pool ledges are best accessible at low tide and the views change dramatically. Kilve can be breezy even in mild weather, so always pack more layers than you think you need.
5. Deer Leap
One of the best views in Somerset, and almost nobody knows it.
Deer Leap is Somerset's secret.
Tucked between Easton and Priddy on the Mendips, it offers some of the finest views in the county — a sweeping panorama of hills and valleys that goes on further than you can quite account for. In autumn the surrounding trees create what I can only describe as a proper kaleidoscope of colour, and the quality of quiet up here is the kind that makes you lower your voice without deciding to.
I once spent an entire afternoon at Deer Leap sitting on a blanket watching the clouds move across the valley. We'd brought local cheese, crusty bread and homemade apple chutney, and we stayed until the light went. Nobody wanted to leave. That's the test of a good spot — the leaving of it.
This is a reflective picnic. A slow one. A 'I just need to breathe for a bit' one.
What I'd pack: Keep it simple — cheese, crackers, apple chutney, a flask of something warm. The view is the spread. Everything else is supporting cast.
Practical tip: The parking is a small layby so arrive early if you're going on a fine weekend. This is a spot for sitting still, not for running around — manage small children's expectations accordingly and bring good entertainment or embrace the quiet.
6. Stourhead
Technically Wiltshire. Spiritually Somerset. Entirely unmissable in October.
Yes, I know. It's over the border. But Stourhead holds a special enough place in my heart that I refuse to leave it off any autumn list, and if that costs me my Somerset credentials I'll take the hit.
The landscape garden at Stourhead is famous for good reason. The lake, the temples, the bridges, the planting — it's the kind of place that was designed to be breathtaking and absolutely delivers. In autumn, when the trees around the lake reflect in golds and reds and deep russets, it tips from beautiful into genuinely moving. My children have grown up visiting here and they still stop when they first see the lake from the path. That says everything.
We always bring too much food because Stourhead is the kind of place that makes you think you might just stay all day. You probably will.
What I'd pack: Whatever you love most. This place will make it taste better. Cold meats, good cheese, something from the local farm shop, sparkling water or something celebratory. A proper spread, properly enjoyed.
Practical tip: It gets busy on autumn weekends — arrive when it opens to get the best of the light and the lake to yourselves for a little while. The far side of the lake is quieter than the main path and often where the best spots are.
7. Chew Valley Lake
Still water, turning trees, and the best birdwatching you can do with a flask in your hand.
Chew Valley Lake in autumn is a particular kind of peace.
The surrounding trees burst into colour and reflect in the still water and the whole thing looks like a painting that keeps changing as the light moves. It's a family spot, with plenty of space for children to move around and a gentle, open atmosphere that isn't dramatic but is deeply, quietly lovely.
We've spent many autumn afternoons here with a thermos of tea and some homemade scones, watching the birds and not doing very much at all. The lake is home to extraordinary birdlife in the autumn months — bring binoculars if you have them. Or don't. It's just as good without them.
What I'd pack: Homemade scones, proper tea, something warm. This is a slow, gentle picnic spot — pack accordingly.
Practical tip: There are designated picnic areas around the lake but I'd recommend finding a quieter spot along the shoreline if you want the full reflective experience. Binoculars genuinely transform a visit if you have them.
8. Nunney Castle
My childhood. My boys' childhood. And possibly the most charming small castle in England.
Nunney Castle isn't on many lists. It should be on yours.
I grew up in this village. The castle — a proper medieval castle with a proper moat, which still sounds like something I made up even to me — was the backdrop to my entire childhood. I've been picnicking in its shadow since I was small enough that the towers seemed enormous. I know every angle of it in every season.
In autumn the moat fills with reflections of the turning trees and the light on the old stone goes warm and golden and the whole place becomes almost embarrassingly beautiful for somewhere this small and quiet. Last autumn I brought my own boys here, sat by the moat with sandwiches and cake from the village cafe, and watched them do exactly what I used to do — run, climb things they probably shouldn't, completely ignore the food until they were too hungry not to stop.
The feeling of that afternoon is something I'll carry for a long time.
It's small. It's not dramatic. It is completely, quietly perfect.
What I'd pack: Sandwiches and something from the village — the cafe nearby does good cake. Keep it simple. Nunney doesn't need impressing. It just needs you to slow down and be there.
Practical tip: Free to visit and open year round. Park in the village and walk to the castle — it takes about two minutes and is entirely worth not driving past it. Perfect for a quiet weekday afternoon when you have somewhere small and lovely to yourself.
A few things I've learned about picnicking in autumn
The light moves faster than you think. The golden hour in October isn't an hour — it's more like thirty-five minutes and then it's gone. Build your afternoon around it.
Soup in a flask is not a compromise. It is the correct decision. I will not apologise for this.
The secret spots are always ten minutes further than you planned to walk. Always worth it.
Bring more layers than seems reasonable. You can always take them off. The alternative — sitting in a field in October regretting your life choices — is considerably worse.
Go even when it's overcast. Autumn light in cloud is extraordinary and the colours are better without direct sun anyway.
Autumn doesn't ask you to be ready. It just turns up, extraordinary, and hopes you'll come outside.
Somerset in autumn is one of the most beautiful places I know. The spots on this list are the ones I return to year after year — some dramatic, some quiet, some so familiar they feel like old friends.
All of them are better with a flask and something worth eating and the decision to actually go.
Love Gemma xx
p.s. The full seasonal guide — all four seasons, all the spots, one complete Somerset adventure — is over here: -> The Best Picnic Spots in Somerset: A Local's Complete Seasonal Guide