Information about Weston-Super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort town and civil parish in North Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel, 18 miles South-west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill.

Weston's oldest structure is Worlebury camp, on Worlebury Hill, dating from the Iron Age. The medieval church of St John has been rebuilt but its preaching cross survives. The cellars of the adjoining former rectory are said to be 17th century. The Old Thatched Cottage restaurant on the seafront carries the date 1774; it is the surviving portion of a summer cottage built by the Revd. Leeves of Wrington.

The main Weston-super-Mare railway station is close to the town centre less than ten minutes walk from the sea front. Other stations are located at Weston Milton and Worle. Weston-super-Mare station has direct high speed train services to London Paddington including First Great Western's Bristolian express service, which only serves Weston-super-Mare in the London bound direction. Weston-super-Mare main railway station also has direct services to stations such as Bristol, Taunton and Cardiff Central.

Most bus services are provided by First Group, although some services are operated by ACL Travel and 1-Spin Travel, who operate one town service and a night-bus service to Bristol. All services call at stops in the Regent Street and Big Lamp Corner area; a few services to Sand Bay, Wells, Burnham-on-Sea and Bristol International Airport start from or run via the main railway station. Some bus services serve the main High Street.

Weston is close to junction 21 of the M5 motorway. In the 1990s a dual-carriageway relief road was opened from the motorway into the centre of the town. This replaced Locking Road as the designated A370 route and avoided some of the traffic congestion along that narrower urban road.

The town has a number of arts venues. The Playhouse serves both tourists and the local population. The Winter Gardens on the seafront hosts shows, exhibitions and conferences. The Blakehay Theatre & Community Arts Centre is a small venue housed in a former Baptist church. Weston-super-Mare has a couple of live music venues of note. Hobbit's on Carlton Street caters mainly for young up and coming punk and pop acts, whilst the nearby Scally's bar hosts local and national touring rock bands. On the other side of town The Back Bar, The London, and the Imperial hold regular open mic nights which attract a wide array of local musicians, as well as artists from further afield.

Weston-super-Mare is a popular tourist destination, with attractions such as the long sandy beach, the Helicopter Museum, the Grand Pier, the SeaQuarium aquarium and the Weston Miniature Railway, which is situated on the Beach Lawns, as well as a putting green, gift shop and café. Trains on the railway are pulled by steam or petrol locomotives. Also on site is a Drive It Yourself Train. The Paddle Steamer Waverley and MV Balmoral offer day sea trips from Knightstone Island to various destinations along the Bristol Channel and Severn estuary, tickets for which are on sale at the resort's Tourist Information Centre. Museums include the North Somerset Museum and Lambretta Scooter Museum.

Weston Beach Race is an annual Motorcross Enduro event in October, first held in 1982. In 2005 it attracted 1,400 competitors and around 80,000 spectators. There are a number of races for quad bikes, sidecars and children in addition to the main event. Weston is also the final event on the November West Country Carnival circuit, when a large number of brightly illuminated floats parade through the streets.