Wells, England's smallest city

Nine miles from Hunter's Moon, Wells is a lovely old medieval city that dates right back to Roman times and takes its name from the springs that bubble up beside the cathedral. It is charming and unspoilt, with a market square, a moated palace and, in Wells Cathedral, one of the most beautiful buildings in England.

Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral hosts the second-oldest clock mechanism in Britain and is described as "the most poetic of the English cathedrals". Its Gothic architecture includes the astonishing scissor arches supporting the tower, the west front with its three hundred medieval statues, the worn stone stairs to the Chapter House and a fourteenth-century astronomical clock whose knights joust every quarter hour. Choral evensong is sung most days and is free to attend. Tower tours and roof tours run in summer.

The Bishop's Palace and Gardens

Next to the cathedral, the moated Bishop's Palace has been the home of the bishops of Bath and Wells for eight hundred years. Cross the drawbridge into fourteen acres of gardens fed by the springs that gave Wells its name, see the ruined great hall, and watch for the mute swans on the moat, which have been trained since the 1870s to ring a bell by the gatehouse when they want feeding.

Vicars' Close and the city

Vicars' Close, beside the cathedral, is claimed to be the oldest purely residential street in Europe, built in the fourteenth century for the men of the cathedral choir and still lived in by them today; the perspective narrows towards the chapel at the end to make it look longer. Wells also has St Cuthbert's Church, the largest parish church in Somerset, the Wells and Mendip Museum, and a market place that hosts lively markets every Wednesday and Saturday. The narrow streets around it have a great selection of pavement cafes, traditional inns and specialist independent shops. Film fans will recognise the city from the comedy Hot Fuzz, which was filmed here.

Eating and drinking

The Fountain Inn behind the cathedral, the City Arms in the old jail and the Crown in the market place are all good for lunch. There are plenty of cafes and tea rooms around the market place, and the Swan Hotel's terrace looks straight at the cathedral's west front.

Around Wells

• Wookey Hole caves are two miles from the city; see Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole.
• Ebbor Gorge, a wooded National Nature Reserve, is a short drive north-west.
• Croscombe church, on the road back to the cottage, has the finest Jacobean woodwork in Somerset; see churches.
• The Mendip Hills rise directly behind the city, with Priddy, Black Down and Burrington Combe for walks.

Getting there

Wells is about twenty minutes by car from Hunter's Moon via Glastonbury, or via Pilton and Croscombe. Buses run from Glastonbury to Wells every half hour, and the three-mile field path between the two via Launcherley makes a lovely walk. Wells and Glastonbury together make a perfect first day out: the cathedral in the morning, lunch in the market place, then the Abbey and the Tor in the afternoon.