Chard, Somerset
Chard is a small market town on the edge of South Somerset; with wide streets and an imposing town hall it’s famed for being the Birthplace of Powered Flight; the inventor, John Stringfellow, lived in a cottage in the High Street and flew his first prototype in the towns lace mill. There’s two supermarkets, a range of independent shops and cafes, and a lovely thatched museum with an interesting display of bygone farming. On the edge of the town there’s a nature reserve with a reservoir; a haven of tranquillity for wildlife, and some of the surrounding villages have friendly country inns where you can sample the local ale and have a spot of lunch – try the Windwhistle Inn at Cricket St. Thomas, the Haymaker at Wadeford, or venture round the lanes to the Cotley Inn at Wambrook.