On the ground floor of the Market House is our Tourist and Community Information Desk, manned by a team of volunteers with extensive local knowledge, and open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Here you will find leaflets about Castle Cary, the surrounding area and tourist attractions within about a 30 mile radius, accommodation information, bus and train timetables and much more. While you are there you can look at our prison cell (complete with Oscar, our prisoner), the well, and the Shambles (the old meat market).
You can also contact the Information Office on 01963 351763 or email tourism@castle-cary.co.uk
Tucked away in a secluded spot a few miles off the A303, the golden stone of Castle Cary and Ansford exudes a warm glow complemented by its glorious setting in the South Somerset countryside and its friendly inhabitants.
Castle Cary and Ansford is known by its two parishes. But folk who know the town simply call it “Cary”. The 12th Century castle of the name no longer exists, although you can still see some of its stone in the buildings of the town centre. And the town is the source of the River Cary which rises from Park Pond, part of the original castle moat.
The 19th Century Market House dominates the centre of the town, across the HIgh Street from the thatched George Hotel – one of Cary’s oldest buildings. Fore Street, stretching down to the Horse Pond, is full of individual, high quality shops, delicatessens, cafes and restaurants. Tuesday is Market Day, when fish and organic vegetables are sold in the front of the Market House. All parking in the town is free (thanks to a council initiative), with stays limited to two hours on the streets and two longer-stay car parks at Catherine’s Close and Millbrook Gardens (both signposted from the main roads).
Behind the Market House stands Cary’s historic Roundhouse lock-up. Constructed in 1779, it is one of only four such buildings remaining in the country today. The celebrated diarist Parson James Woodforde (1740 – 1803) lived in Ansford; more recently Douglas Macmillan, founder of Macmillan Cancer Support, lived in Cary.
If you’re walking, rambling or simply looking for a quiet time in the countryside, Cary can provide it. The Monarch’s Way, the Macmillan Way and Leland Trail all pass near the town, as does the route to Glastonbury for many festival-goers.
