Transport - Information for Visitors

Mendip is located in the north-eastern part of Somerset, about 20 miles south of Bristol and Bath - see our homepage map and Mendip District Council location information. Our five towns (Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street and Wells) and their surrounding rural areas are easily reached by car or public transport.

Public Transport

A comprehensive network of bus services connects all our main towns and rural areas and links them with surrounding major towns and cities of Bath, Bristol, Taunton, Weston-super-Mare and Yeovil.

Details are contained in a Mendip Area Timetable booklet published by Somerset County Council and First. Note that the June 2004 timetable must be read in conjunction with Amendment No 1 valid from 25th July 2004.

The main operator is First who offer a day ticket valid on all their services in the south west (FirstDay South West) which may be particulalry advantageous for visitors.

Public Transport information For Coach and Rail service information, see below. For all bus services : Traveline 0870 608 2 608 Mendip Area bus timetable booklets are free and are available by post from Somerset County Council's Public Transport Unit or can be collected from:

• Tourist Information Centres
• Council Information Points
• Post Offices
• Libraries

Getting Here by Car

From London and the south-east, the easiest approach is by the M3 and A303 rather than the M4. For Frome, Shepton mallet and Wells, turn off the A303 onto the A36 towards Warminster and Bath, then follow the A361 to Frome and Shepton Mallet and then the A371 to Wells. For Glastonbury and Street, turn off the A303 at Podimore onto the A372 and then B3151 for Street and then the A39 to Glastonbury.

From the South West, at Junction 23 take the A39 to Street and Glastonbury and then follow the A39 to Wells or the A361 to Shepton Mallet or Frome.

From the Midlands and South Wales, for Glastonbury and Street follow the M5 to junction 23 and then take the A39 to Street and Glastonbury. For Wells and Shepton Mallet from the M5 take the M4 to Junction 19, the M32 to Bristol and then the A37 to Shepton Mallet or the A37 then A39 to Wells. For Frome follow the M4 to Junction 18, the A46 to Bath then the A36 and A361 to Frome.

Rail Services

Frome station is served by local (Wessex Trains) services operating between Bristol (Temple Meads), Bath, Yeovil and Weymouth. Connections can be made to London Paddington and the West Country via Westbury or Castle Cary Stations.

The nearest main-line station to Mendip is at Castle Cary, just to the south of the District. This is served by Paddington to Taunton and the West Country trains (First Great Western).

Buses for Shepton Mallet and Street pass close to Castle Cary Station but are not generally timed to meet trains. If you are planning to travel on to towns in Mendip by bus, the best bet is to take the train to Bristol (Temple Meads) or Bath where better bus connections are available.

• From Bristol Temple Meads Station (which is well served by trains from the South West, South Wales, Southampton, London Paddington and the North East / North West via Birmingham), First service 376 (976 on Sundays) operates every 30 mins. during the day and hourly in the evening until 23.10 (Sundays hourly all day until 22.15) to Wells. Most journeys continue to Glastonbury and Street and connect at Wells for Shepton Mallet. These buses stop on the main road at the bottom of the approach road to Temple Meads Station (Bus Stop Tf).

• From Bath Station (which is served by trains from South Wales, Bristol, Southampton and London Paddington) First service 267 (767 evenings and Sundays) operates to Frome, hourly during the day and two hourly evenings and Sunday. First service 173 operates to Wells hourly during the day (less frequently on Sundays). It is also possible to reach Shepton Mallet by catching any First service to Midsomer Norton and changing there to Somerbus service 176, but this service is irregular. All these buses leave from Bath Bus Station which is situated opposite Bath Station.

See Bus Services below for timetable information line numbers. For Rail enquiries, call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950 or visit the National Rail website.

Coach Services

National Express operate coach services from London Victoria Coach Station to Frome and to Shepton Mallet, Wells, Glastonbury and Street. Both of these services leave London in the early evening each day and return from Mendip to London early each morning.

National Express also operate a service from Blackpool to Weymouth, Poole and Bournemouth via Bristol and Shepton Mallet. Connections are available at Bristol to or from many parts of the country. This service operates southbound through Shepton Mallet in the afternoon and returns northbound in the morning every day.

Other coach services operated by National Express and other operators including megabus.com serve Bristol and Bath. See Rail Services above for bus connections to Mendip.

For information on National Express services call 08705 808080 or visit the National Express website.

Arriving by Air

Bristol International Airport is our nearest airport and is located about 10 miles to the north-west of Mendip.

To reach Mendip by public transport from Bristol International Airport, catch the Airport coachlink to Bristol from outside the arrivals hall. This operates half hourly through most of the day. Alight at Bristol Temple Meads Station and walk down to the bottom of the station approach road for buses to Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Shepton Mallet (for details see Rail Services above).

From London Heathrow, catch a National Express coach to Bristol Bus Station and change there for buses to Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Shepton Mallet (for details see Rail Services above - the same buses also serve Bristol bus station), or a National Express coach to Bath Bus Station and change there for trains or buses to Frome (for details see Rail Services above). There is one National Express coach daily early each evening direct to Frome from Heathrow airport, and another direct to Shepton Mallet, Wells, Glastonbury and Street.

Alternatively from Heathrow airport catch the Heathrow Express rail service to London Paddington Station and change to a train to Bristol, Bath or Castle Cary (see Rail Services above).

From Gatwick or Stansted airports, catch an Airlink coach to Heathrow Airport and proceed as above. Alternatively catch a Gatwick Express train to London Victoria or a Stansted Express train to London Liverpool Street, transfer by tube to London Paddington station for trains to Bristol, Bath or Castle Cary (see Rail Services above).

FAQs

Where can I get timetable information?

Taveline 0870 6082608
First Southern National 01823 272033 (Taunton)
First Southern National 01935 476233 (Yeovil)
National Express 08705 808080

Timetable booklets are available from:- Tourist Information Centres, Council Information Points, Post Offices and Libraries.

Contact

Last Updated

24 April 2009

Page last updated on 24 April 2009