Westhay

Westhay is a village in Somerset, England. It is situated in the parish of Meare, 4 miles (6.4 km) north west of Glastonbury on the Somerset Levels, in the Mendip district.

Westhay
Northern end of Westhay
Westhay Location within Somerset
OS grid reference	ST435425
Civil parish	Meare
District	Mendip
Shire county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GLASTONBURY
Postcode district	BA6
Dialling code	01458
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Wells

The name means 'The west field that is enclosed by hedges' from the Old English west and haga. The 'g' in haga is silent.[1]

Westhay is a marshland village on the River Brue in typical Somerset rhyne country, standing on the site of pre-historic lake dwellings. The site of the lake-village is marked by groups of mounds. Nearby was the Peat Moors Centre which closed down in the autumn of 2009 but has been replaced by the Avalon Marshes Centre where the RSPB, Natural England and the Somerset Wildlife Trust have offices and work bases to manage the local wildlife reserves. It also includes a craft centre and a lunchtime cafe. The prehistoric Sweet Track and Post Track run from the village southwards towards Shapwick.

The village is close to Westhay Moor, Westhay Heath, RSPB Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath, all of which have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Westhay is serviced by one pub, The Bird in Hand..

Peat gatherers at Westhay, somerset levels

Peat stacks and cutting at Westhay, somerset levels

Harvesting the peat at Westhay, somerset levels

Westhay is well known as the site of the Starling Roost featured on many TV wildlife programmes. The roost is in National wildlife reserves such as Westhay Moor, Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath. The area also contains one third of the UK breeding population of Bitterns and the first known UK breeding populations of Great White Egret and Little Bittern.