Yahoo News The charming 'Goldilocks' village in the West Country where everything is 'just right'
If you're looking to explore something new this summer, you'll could try the charming West Country village of Yatton, about an hour from Gloucester in North Somerset. It boasts a bustling high street, delightful parks and snug coffee shops, not forgetting a historic 14th-century pub that previously served parched masons during the church's construction centuries ago.
It's undoubtedly evolved over the years, but it has managed to retain a sense of charm and history that time bestows. Surprisingly, Garrington - a property finder agency - named Yatton as one of "the worst places to live" in Somerset in 2022, a label that seems rather unjustifiable upon inspection.
Numerous modern houses are cropping up on the edges of the village and are quickly finding buyers. An undeniable sense of strong community spirit is palpable here, particularly during tough times such as when the Yatton Infant School suffered a fire - the villagers were swift to band together offering assistance where needed to support those impacted by the blaze.
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The community spirit can also be seen around the village. In the Hangstones Pavilion, which has five football pitches, a children’s playground, a skate park, basketball and wild meadows, there are trees and benches in memorial for local villagers - such as a much loved postman and headteacher.
Ground staff member at Hangstones and local resident, Meg Thurgur described Yatton as “a Goldilocks” village, which means everything about it is 'just right'. She said: “It’s a lovely place.
“We’ve got a train station, two lovely primary schools and close to a good secondary. There’s lots of building development going on and it’s got a thriving society and lots of sport, such as football and rugby.”
The Butcher’s Arms is a proper old-school pub on the High Street where the locals hang out. It has lots of specials throughout the week, with a £5 lunch on a Tuesday with dishes such as hunters chicken with chips and peas, or roasted vegetable and salad tortilla with new potatoes.
Back in the 1300s, the pub was used as a beer store to keep the masons from getting thirsty as they worked on the rebuilding of St Mary’s Church. The masons were busy replacing the wooden church into the church building as it is today.
According to the information board at the entrance to Glebelands Park in the village centre, the High Street is built on a ridge of high ground. Beyond the housing on either side, the peat and clay moors were marshy up until the 1950s.
The drainage rhynes, which are now there, still support an array of wetland wildlife. These include toads, frogs, grass snakes, swans and ducks.
There are local wildlife walks, which include Cadbury Hill which is an Iron Age hill fort and a local nature reserve. On summer nights glow worms and bats can be spotted on the tree lined hillsides.
For bird lovers, there is a disused railway line known as the Strawberry Line on an embankment above the wet field where reed or sedge warblers may be spotted. In Glebelands Park in the centre, you may catch sight of a hedgehog or badger and the park is rich with birds, butterflies, dragonflies and bats.
There is a shopping setting which has a good convenience store, a couple of coffee shops, a bakery with freshly baked goodies, a selection of takeaways including Chinese and Indian. There are charity shops with some great bargains and as one local described Yatton: “There’s lots of community stuff going on here, everyone gets involved.”
This article was first published in June 2023
