Nunney – 31.7.16 *FEATURED WALK*

August 19, 2016 at 10:13 am

As promised Bath Ramblings is proud to present our first fully featured walk with detailed instructions – a 5.84 mile circular walk of average difficulty and varied environments.  Starting from Nunney Castle Car park this walk quickly left the village and Nunney Brook was soon reached. A gentle walk through fields, along country lanes and streamsides. The quarries give an added interest to a very pleasant, varied walk.  Nunney is a 40 minute drive from Bath going via Radstock and you can park in Castle Car Park.

Walkmeter Map

 

Route instructions:

Turn left at the café to Nunney Castle. (PHOTO 1) If you look over the wall you will see the working moat.

1

Nunney Castle

Cross a footbridge then turn left in Church Street, past a stone cross. (PHOTO 2)  After 55 yards turn left into Donkey Lane.

The Stone Cross

The Stone Cross

Follow the lane past a high wall on the left.

Leave the track after 150 yards for a small gate ahead into woods. (PHOTO 3)

Into the woods

Into the woods

Follow the woodland path along the brook passing the sewerage works on the left. (PHOTO 4) After about 0.75 miles a track runs across the valley.

The sewerage works

The sewerage works

Turn left, as a signpost suggests, to cross the brook over a concrete bridge (PHOTO 5) and head up to a road.

Bridge over the brook

Bridge over the brook

Cross the road and go through a gate into a large upwardly sloping field. (PHOTO 6) Follow the hedge on the right until you get to a gate, turn right through the gate and walk across the brow of another field (don’t forget to look back at the views)

Big field

Big field

Head towards a group of houses (one of which used to be The Sun Inn – PHOTO 7) This is the village of Whatley.

Whatley Village

Whatley Village

Go through the gate, turn left onto the road for a short distance then follow a path to your right (PHOTO 8) to walk between houses.  Go down a narrow alleyway, through a gate and into a field (PHOTO 9) (Note the warning that there may be a bull in the field)

Through the houses

Through the houses

No bull (at least not on this day)

No bull (at least not on this day)

Cross straight over the field crossing two stiles right to the bottom then turn left and follow the woods on your right until you get to a gate..

Cross the main road and enter the woods. 

Follow the woodland path which will take you down steep stairs (PHOTO 10) and towards the quarry which can be seen through the trees (PHOTO 11)

Woodland staircase

Woodland staircase

The Quarry

The Quarry

Keep following the path (You will be walking along part of the East Mendip Way) with the brook on your right (PHOTO 12) until you reach the road (Raiford Hill) 

The Mendip Way

The Mendip Way

Turn left uphill for 220 yards then turn right onto a footpath back into the woods.

Follow this path through the woods for about a mile until you reach Stoney Lane which you will follow for at least another mile.

Turn left for 0.5 miles to a road junction. Across slightly left a bridleway sign marks an earth track under trees. This passes beside another quarry to reach a busy road. Turn right for 150 yards to a junction. Follow a minor road on the left (signposted Nunney 1)

When you reach the end of the quarry on your right there is a lane that slopes down between houses (notice the lovely gardens)  Follow the path down until you reach the brook, turn into the woods where the footpath sign indicates and you will reach a footbridge (PHOTO 13)

Footbridge

Footbridge

Turn left into a large processing depot full of big trucks (PHOTO 14) – don’t be afraid, pass through the trucks and you will reach a footpath back into the woods. (PHOTO 15)

Big trucks

Big trucks

15

back into the woods

 

After 220 yards the path passes below a small crag – turn up the hill and cross the stile, through some wood into a field.  Cross the field and you should see Nunney Church Tower appear in the distance – head this way (slightly leftwards).

In the woods to your left in a stone wall is a gate with some steps leading down back into Nunney.  At the bottom turn right and you will be back in the village.