July 23, 2018 at 11:16 am
A nearly 6 mile walk starting and ending at the Ring O Bells pub in Hinton Blewett.
This circular walk started in Hinton Blewett on a gloriously warm morning. The fields were brown and the mud had solidified which made for interesting walking. Fortunately there were also some shady lanes and wooded paths. The walk went through the lovely little village of Litton where the reservoirs provided a good lunch stop and the opportunity to watch the birds on the water.
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Gargoyle on St Mary’s Church in Litton
Hot sheep huddled in a shady corner
Buzzards gliding over the reservoir
Pine woods are less common than deciduous woods in this area so it was nice to walk through one for a change
Litton Reservoir
A family of diving ducks a little too far away to identify – could be Coots or Cormorants
An easily identifiable bottom
A familiar site – cows and bulls are generally harmless but can give you a stare that makes your blood run cold!
Some people do feel nervous when walking in fields with cattle. Between 2000 and 2015 the Health and Safety Executive reported 74 human deaths in the UK caused by cattle. 56 of these were farm workers. Of the remainder 17 were accompanied by a dog and 17 were lone walkers. So walking in a group with no dogs is very safe as long as you’re calm and sensible. Here are some helpful tips from Countryfile to maximise safety:
- If you’re with a dog you should keep it on its lead, particularly during calving season. By law farmers are entitled to destroy any dog that injures or worries their animal.
- Stay well clear of calves, and resist temptation to pet them.
- If you feel threatened by a herd when you are with a dog, let go of its lead so you and it can get to safety seperately.
- Move in a careful, calm way, if you sense a threat, keep moving with your body facing the cow; don’t turn your back to the animal or run.
- Tell the landowner and highway authority about any attacks or frightening incidents and contact the Health & Safety Executive and Police if it’s of a serious nature.
Rolling hills and views for miles
The continuing heatwave has made the landscape look more Mediterranean than Somerset!
April 23, 2018 at 9:20 am
This is a walk we have done before here and here. It’s 5 miles with lots of hills (and views on a good day) and woodland.
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This walk started from Ebbor Gorge car park and went down to the reserve by a steep flight of steps before levelling out for the walk to Wookey Hole village. At the end of the village a path led across fields to Arthur’s Point – good views in all directions. After a stroll through woods another series of hills gave spectacular views across the Somerset levels before returning to the reserve and back to the car park. A lovely spring day with primroses, anemones, bluebells and lambs aplenty.
We prewalked this on 2nd April so here are some comparison photos of the two visits:
bare mossy woods | spring green woods
bears | tigers
lambs in raincoats | lambs under the trees
cows in the barn | cows set free
suddenly the woods and fields are full of wildflowers
February 20, 2018 at 7:29 am
This walk starts in the village of Buckland Dinham then heads into the Somerset countryside through Great Elm and on towards Mells where the hills above the village give good views of the historic manor house and church. A good variety of walking with open fields and meadows, riverside paths and bridleways thick with mud. Signs of spring everywhere with snowdrops, daffodils in bud and wild garlic starting to appear.
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the walk started from The Bell Inn – recognisable by the pygmy goats and flying bicycle in the car park
Don’t forget to say hello to the goats
The views are still wintry out there …
… but you know Spring is on the way when the woods start to smell of garlic
Lunch stop by the Mells River
Scarlet Elf Cap Fungus
The deep dark mossy woods
This cute little waterfall is actually a water outlet from Whatley quarry which features in our Nunney walk. You can see both walks on this map below, today’s walk in red and the Nunney Walk in blue
August 13, 2017 at 4:54 pm
A 5.5 mile walk starting and ending in Doynton
This walk started from the car park of the sadly closed pub in Doynton and went through woods and fields before skirting Dyrham Park and heading back to Doynton. The steep hills were well worth the effort as, combined with glorious weather, the reward was far reaching views stretching as far as the Severn bridge.
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August 2, 2017 at 9:08 am
Welcome to our third featured walk which is a 4.9 mile circular hike through Ebbor Gorge on the West Mendip Way. Full instructions are below.
This walk starts from Ebbor Gorge car park and heads down into the reserve before diverting into Wookey Hole village. From there it goes across fields and through woods before returning to the nature reserve and back to the car park. A challenging walk with steep flights of steps and climbs up hills but well worth the effort for the far reaching views across the Somerset countryside. The limekilns and rock formations are an interesting addition.
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March 28, 2017 at 6:25 am
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On a gloriously sunny spring day it was well worth repeating this walk – see walk on 31/7/16 – as the differences were clear. The views were spectacular and the wood anemones and primroses were flourishing along the stream side paths although the wild garlic had yet to flower. The absence of leaves improved the views and gave a clear impression of how large the quarry was!
Wood Anemones
January 11, 2017 at 5:10 pm
Happy New Year from Bath Ramblings. We are pleased to offer you our second fully featured walk which is a 4.5 mile (approx) circular hike starting and ending at St Swithin’s Church Bathford.
‘This very pleasant walk (thanks to Nigel Vile) started from St Swithun’s Church in Bathford before starting a steep climb up to Brown’s Folly. Following a pause to recover it was a gentle walk through the Nature Reserve down to the main road then a brief walk before descending under the road via the dry arch. Another gentle – if muddy – path led to the Conkwell to Bathford lane and finally back to the church. On a clear day the views across to Claverton are wonderful – sadly this wasn’t one of those days. A pleasant walk through fields and woodland and along a country lane gave a variety of scenery.’
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Starting at St Swithin’s church walk down the narrow alleyway to the left of the graveyard. When you emerge cross over the road and cross the green to the right of the houses until you come to a stile (there is a sign warning of cows in the field, the herd we came across were pretty docile) From now on the path is an upward climb until you get to the tower.
October 17, 2016 at 5:51 am
A 7.5 mile walk starting and ending at White Row Farm
This walk started from White Row Farm shop where a drinks break killed an hour until the torrential rain gave up. Then down to Standerwick, passing the imposing grounds of Standerwick Court, on the way to Rudge with its elegant Manor House. The return route was through fields and along country tracks and lanes – noting Seymour’s Court, the ancestral home of the Seymours (as in Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry V111). A challenging walk in many ways including a herd of very frisky cattle who didn’t appreciate walkers in their fields and some rickety, wobbly stiles. “Wildlife” aplenty including deer, hares and alpacas. A lovely walk with good views and perfect weather – especially as the walk had almost been abandoned at the start.
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Westbury White Horse
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