The Mendip Way

The Mendip Way

We bought a book.  It was entitled ‘The West Mendip Way’, and it was by a man called Moyes.  Therapy perhaps, for a beleaguered Man U manager?  No, this was by Derek, not David.  After reading it, we were not under-informed about the West Mendips, but the route directions might be considered something of an afterthought.  Mr Moyes has not so far as we know put his thoughts on paper about the East Mendip Way.  Maybe he’s leaving that to brother Dave during his possibly forthcoming gardening leave...  The guide to the entire Way is out of print, though having made it as far as Wells we did managed to find one in the Tourist Information Office, despite the ‘assistance’ of the venerable shopkeeper and his wife.  “Mend and weigh?”  “Why would you want to mend something in the shop?”  Or similar.  Mr Wright, appropriately named, has written a better book on the route, though with less history.  He is something of a geology buff however.  He has entitled his offering ‘Uphill to Frome’, perhaps not an encouraging title.  But it’s true, the route does begin at Uphill, just to the south of Weston-super-Mare.

On a chilly overcast March afternoon (24.3.2014) in Uphill, there’s not much to detain you.  The restaurant, La Cucina, is closed, and we discover that it’s run by Dimitri, whose central Weston restaurant is fortunately open year round.  The route detours around the steep hill with the Norman church of St Nicholas on its summit, and follows the levels inland to cross the A370, up a short steep old drove road, through the village of Purn, and into Bleadon, where the Queens’ Arms allows a first reacquaintance with the local Butcombe bitter, an excellent drop.

Uphill Harbour - the start of the Mendip Way

A moderate climb up Hellenge Hill and onwards to Bleadon Hill is followed by a gradual descent in a SSW direction into the Lox Yeo valley, an idyllic and remote valley until 1972 when the M5 was routed through it.  In consequence the descent into Loxton and the ascent of Crook Peak on the opposite side of the valley are accompanied by incessant traffic noise.  As the drizzle intensifies, it’s time to call it a day for the first afternoon, and our friend Karen Wynne, from nearby Hale Farm in Winscombe picks us up in Webbington.

It’s a beautiful though chilly morning after our pleasant stay in Uphill Manor and a visit to Dimitri’s for dinner.  Even Weston-super-Mare looks attractive, perhaps because it’s empty.  From Hale Farm we come back to tackle Crook Peak, the hillside above the woods dotted with fresh washed yellow of gorse, and an auditory backdrop of the Easterly wind, the rumble of the M5 traffic, the low pitched ‘baa’ of the sheep, and the pathetic sounding bleating of the new-born lambs, nestling in the hollows.  The West Mendip way now goes due East along the summit of Wavering Down, and descends to another valley intersected by the A38.

Despite appearances we didn't get lost here

Lambs near the top of Crook Peak

Descending toward Winscombe

Ascending along Winscombe Drove, the way is churned up by farm vehicles, and apparently there is a problem with illicit four wheel drive vehicles.  The Mendip Way was first created for the Silver Jubilee in 1977, and suffers from some lack of attention by Somerset County Council, so it seems to be inevitable that one will go wrong.  Farmers in particular, whom one would have thought might be keen to mark the routes around their property so as not to have walkers where they are not wanted, are unenthusiastic about maintaining waymarks and rights of way.  So at Blackdown Farm, after the village of Shipham, we go wrong.  Shipham is an ancient village which has suffered from casual mining for some thousands of years.  It is said that one should not grow vegetables in Shipham because of contamination, and our friend Karen apparently lost one lamb to lead poisoning near here.  Beyond Shipham, therefore, is an area of rough pasture, pitted and pocked, now overgrown with grass, which displays this evidence of former open cast mining.  It is called ‘gruffy ground’.  Exiting from Blackdown Farm, following what is marked as a footpath, we miss the Mendip Way and thus the walk along Lippiatt lane through Rowberrow Warren.  Our route takes us on another footpath over the fields to Longbottom Farm, and a detour to reach the remote Tyning’s Farm.  The route then follows the road for a short way, past some more gruffy ground, and south to Charterhouse Farm.  Well over 800 feet up at this point, a long descent takes us into Long Wood, and a classic dry valley past Black Rock quarry, crossing the Cheddar Gorge well up in the gorge itself and ascending and now passing South West to Bubwith nature reserve.

Cheddar Gorge

Entering Black Rock Quarry

More confusion and new building going on at Bradley Cross means we miss the proper way, and walk down the road into Draycott.  Instructions from Karen are to meet her at the Cider Barn, which is a very welcome hostelry on the outskirts of town.  Cider seems to make people very cheery (remember Adge Cutler?) and a drop of the Roger Wilkins dry cider (see the cider blog at: http://theciderblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/wilkins-dry-cider-review/) goes down very well.  Sitting on a stool at the bar is the Landlord of the Queen Victoria Inn at Priddy.  We tell him we will be passing his door tomorrow.

Driving to Wells, and failing to get in at the Fountain Inn, we eat at ‘The Old Spot’ in Sadler Street, which is good but expensive.  Karen and her husband nearly bought a farm just above Cheddar, and the man who did found a spring on the land, so it would have been galling for her to have the ‘Cheddar Spring Water’ which is served here.  Wells Cathedral is quiet and deserted, a powerful presence across Cathedral Green.

Liquid refreshment at The Old Spot

Wells Cathedral - West Front

Finding a quiet lane downhill in Draycott, we start up what the locals call Draycott Steep, and the map labels ‘Draycott Sleights’ (to rhyme with gates).  This is a strenuous climb, from 100ft of altitude to nearly 900.  There are fine views of Glastonbury Tor and even the sea to the West.  Across many fields, sometimes losing our way again (must write to Somerset Council) to Priddy.  As a local would say, this is a ‘priddy’ village, the gaily painted old phone box now housing an AED (automated external defibrillator).

The Phone Box at Priddy

A macabre wall plaque on a cottage at Priddy

At the Queen Victoria nearby, it’s warm enough to sit outside, which is fortunate.  We’ve arrived by 1130, and the lady cleaning up outside sounds dubious about serving drinks when they usually open at 12.  So I follow her inside.  She says to the barman ‘this gentleman met Mark in the cider barn yesterday and promised to come in for a drink’.  The barman looks dubious.  ‘Yes I helped to lift him back on his stool when he fell off’, I say, and this breaks the ice with laughter, and we get served.  On now to Ebbor Gorge, less spectacular than Cheddar, but without a road, and deserted.  Lunch sitting on the edge.

Ebbor Gorge

Selfie at Ebbor Gorge

Then on down to Wookey, with its tawdry attractions, and finally via Arthur’s View (did he pop up here for a quiet pint of scrumpy and a check up on how building was going over at Glastonbury?) and down into Wells, walking through the Bluecoat School and past the Cathedral School.  Picnic in front of the Cathedral – rather late, it’s well after 2pm – and then around the Bishop’s Palace and across the road into the woods at Tor Hill, on past the Wells Golf Course into King’s Castle Wood, and on across fields until we are on Thrupe Lane above Croscombe.  Down the steep hill into Croscombe where we miss the only bus for two hours by one minute.  No matter, the helpful girls in the village stores ring Silverline taxis, and soon we are away to Draycott, ferried by Mati, the only Israeli in Wells, who curiously enough we met at Wells bus station the same morning.

The West Front of Wells Cathedral

The Bishop's Palace and moat

Back to Dulcote, and our comfortable B&B.  Dinner in Wells at the Fountain Inn, which is good.  Girls’ night out on the table next to us... entertaining subjects of conversation.  Our distances so far are approximately as follows:  Day 1, 8 miles, Day 2, 13 miles, Day 3, 15 miles.  The features that come to mind on the Way are:

Daffodils, wood anemones, sparrow hawks being driven away by crows, mud, baby lambs, skylarks between Draycott and Priddy, Ebbor and Cheddar Gorges, cider, sun, rain, and views of Wales across the Bristol channel.

Day 4.  27^th March.  Drive to Croscombe, up the Thrupe Lane, and park at the side of the road near the point where the Mendip Way crosses.  Then we slog, mostly across fields, to the Poachers’ Pocket and Chelynch where we meet friends Mike and Hilary Weaver for lunch.  They return to pick up our car while we slog on for another 4 hours to Great Elm where they live.  We get lost in Battlefield Woods, near Cranmore Tower, according to Wikipaedia at 280 metres the highest point on the Mendip Way.  Perhaps it means the East Mendip Way.  Scarily there are notices in the woods warning that the Cranmore Company of Archers may shoot here.  In the middle of the wood is a lifesize artificial deer.  It doesn’t seem wise to venture near.  Oh dear, I didn’t mention Shepton Mallet.  Never mind.

A magnificent railway viaduct from the old Somerset & Dorset railway, located in woods north of Shepton Mallet.  The 'S&D' according to locals stood for 'Slow and Dirty'.  A victim of Dr Beeching in 1962.

Finding our way at last, we wind down to some attractive wooded fields where a multitude of springs gurgle down to the East.  Perhaps this is what becomes the river Frome.  The miracle of the internet tells me that indeed the Mells Stream and the Egford Brook do join the Frome, but the Frome itself rises at Witham Friary, between Bruton and Frome.  In fact there are many rivers called the Frome.  Its name comes from a Saxon word – ffraw, meaning fair, fine or brisk, describing the flow of the river.  There is a Welsh word ‘ffraw’ which also carries a rather similar meaning.  The Dorset Frome which we know and love from navigating it up to Wareham arises near Evershot.

Woodland West of Frome

Before we reach the enormous Whatley Quarry, there is the magnificent Asham Wood to negotiate.  Over a mile of deep mud... but it is indeed very beautiful woodland.  We are trudging through the now darkening woodland West of Great Elm when we both hear a rather extraordinary mechanical noise.  It grows louder and louder.  There is a vast and mechanical ring to it.  It sounds for all the world like a train.  It is a train.  Coach after coach of closed wagons, reminding Lindsay of the trains carrying their loads to Auschwitz, rumbles by.  Heading for the quarry.  The remarkable thing about this train track (some of the carriages bear the logo ‘Mendip Rail’) is that the leaves on the trees conceal it perfectly from the path, only a few feet away.

The extraordinary vastness of the complex at Whatley Quarry

The train that you never knew existed

Eventually we reach Great Elm at 5.10pm and Mike Weaver picks us up.  Time for high tea, then drop our bags at Trudoxhill B&B before heading to the Merlin Theatre for ‘An evening with Sunny Ormonde’.  If you have followed me thus far, I confess that this is the entire reason for our trip to the Mendips.  Sunny plays Lilian Bellamy in The Archers.  The audience is full of die-hard Archers fans, and the evening is so-so; but I admit that we were very tired having done roughly another 15 miles.

Friday 28^th March.  A more relaxed start.  Knoll Hill Farm is run on a rather commercial basis, though the rooms are good.  For instance there is no sign of the owners at breakfast time, just the hired help.  We drive back to Great Elm, walk through the sylvan valleys down the Mells Stream, then upstream along the Egford Brook.  With plenty of time to spare we pick a huge quantity of wild garlic which we later turn into pesto and into soup.  Leaving the brook we strike East up the Leys Hill and down into Frome.  Only three and a half miles.  Time for a celebratory drink at the Archangel.  The local Frome brewery ale is excellent, though for most of the Way I have opted for the wonderful Butcombe Bitter, which is also a Somerset beer.  Photo at the end of the route – the Boyle Cross in the centre of Frome...

The Mells Stream near Great Elm

A beautifully preserved lime kiln

Catherine Hill, Frome, in the rain

Flowers brighten the view in central Frome

The Blue House, Frome

A final 'ussie' in front of the Boyle Cross, Frome

The fruits of foraging.  Wild garlic.  There's plenty more where that came from...

So that’s the Mendip Way.  The West contrasts with the East.  Wilder and higher, with the limestone plateau and the gorges.  The East more undulating, with hidden stretches of woodland and the lovely secret river valleys towards the end.  Sitting in the centre, like a jewel, is Wells.  Oh, and we could have been in Wells Cathedral listening to Carmina Burana instead of asking important questions about the key characters in the Archers...