Yeovil

Yeovil is a town of around 45,000 on the southeastern edge of Somerset, not far from the border with Dorset.

The town’s history dates back as far as the Palaeolithic era. It was a thriving market town in medieval times and became an important centre for glove making during the Industrial Revolution and it later became a hub for defence-related industries, which made it a target for German bombing raids during the Second World War.

Yeovil has characteristics shared with other post-industrial towns of a similar size and it generally does not receive many tourists. However, it does have several nearby attractions popular with fans of transport heritage including the Yeovil Railway Centre, the Fleet Air Arm Museum and the Haynes International Motor Museum. There are also a couple of National Trust properties (Montacute House and Tintinhull Garden) within a short distance of Yeovil.

Coming and going

Although not as well connected as many other English towns of a similar size, Yeovil is easy to get to by public transport. However, many of Yeovil’s attractions are far from the town centre and this makes it a destination that is best visited by car.

Yeovil has two railway stations, Yeovil Pen Mill with trains to Bristol and Weymouth and Yeovil Junction, which has trains to Exeter and London.

Yeovil also has local bus connections with bus route 54 connecting Yeovil with Taunton and bus 77 going to Street, Glastonbury and Wells.

Sights and activities in Yeovil

Places to stay in Yeovil