Great British getaways: Explore the seaside town of Somerset, home to England’s only Grade II listed operating pier

Clevedon, on the east coast of the Severn Estuary and about eight miles from Bristol, has seen its fair share of famous figures over the years.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Victorian poet laureate, was a regular, and in 1795 Samuel Taylor Coleridge, pictured below by artist Peter Vandyke, wrote his poem The Eolian Harp in the seaside town of Somerset (and spent his honeymoon there).

Meanwhile, travel writer Jan Morris, who told the story of Sir Edmund Hillary’s first ascent of Everest in 1953, was born in Clevedon.

This monumental pier is the heart of the action, with performances by the music group The Barnacle Buoys, with their tapping sea shanties.

It’s also the place for fish and chips in the sleek Glass Box restaurant, a transparent cube with great views of the Severn.

Tamara Hinson visits the town of Clevedon in Somerset, on the east coast of the Severn Estuary

Poets’ Walk, a 1.5-mile coastal path, starts at the edge of Marine Lake, winds up a hill and then takes in the ancient sites of Tennyson and Coleridge.

Among the sights along the route are a turreted structure dating from 1835 so that sugar merchants could see arriving ships from the West Indies, plus an Iron Age fort and a Second World War shelter.

Then you can refuel at the charming Little Harp pub, which dates back to the 19th century and is perfect for a post-walk lunch (excellent squid with lemon). On colder days the most popular spot is next to the crackling fire.

End of the pier show: Clevedon is home to a Grade II listed pier (seen here)

Tamara says the pier is ‘the heart of the action, with performances from music group The Barnacle Buoys’

Above restaurant Glass Box – ‘the place for fish and chips’

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a fan of Clevedon, Tamara reveals

Hill Road, just off the pier, is lined with cafes and independent shops such as Gems, a gift shop stocked with sealife-themed pottery.

Another top attraction is the Curzon Cinema, with its glorious sunburst-shaped art deco arch (look for marks in the concrete from a World War II bomb).

Opened in 1912, The Curzon proudly claims to be one of the world’s oldest continuously operating cinemas. It is also a venue for stand-up performances and concerts.

In the mystically inspired The Eolian Harp, Coleridge mused about ‘twilight-elves’ who arrived ‘journeys on gentle storms from Fairy-Land’.

Unfortunately I didn’t see any.

WHERE TO STAY: The Moon And Sixpence is a hotel on the seafront, close to the pier, with five rooms (room 4, on the first floor, has beautiful sea views).

The menu is packed with hearty comfort food, including a delicious homemade steak and beer pie. Doubles from £90 B&B (moonandsixpenceclevedon.co.uk).

Tamara stays at The Moon And Sixpence (pictured), a hotel on the seafront, close to the pier, with five rooms