Walking the chapters of Christopher Somerville's The January Man, Month by Month
March's chapter throws up its first surprise. Three walking areas are detailed but I decide to ignore Worcestershire and Yorkshire and stick with the opening location, Somerset. The theme is new beginnings and birth, with more text dedicated to lambing in Nidderdale than to mating toads along the A371.
In Somerset, Somerville is scaling the heights of the Mendip hills, walking through the woodland of Stoke Woods Conservancy from Rodney Stoke. It doesn't take me long to plot a suitable route and it's my favourite type. Linear, using public transport to make the return.
All things are planned. I'll park at the Rodney Stoke in, walk 10 or so miles on the West Mendip Way and return on the 126 at 13:55 to pay for the parking through a lunch purchase. The landlord is even coming out of the pub at 8:50am for me to explain this plan to him as I pull up in the car park. His response? I'm welcome to park, but the pub is closed for a refit until April.
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| Rodney Stoke Inn |
My path to the Mendips is Hill Lane - which lives up to its name in its steepness - to find the West Mendip Way at the top. The climbing over, I get to know how a Cheltenham race horse feels. A straight path through fields, interrupted every quarter or mile or so by a huge stone stile that needs to be clambered over.
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| Bullocks in the mist, over the Somerset Plains |
Two pubs in Priddy, walks-bys only at 10am. The Old New Inn, looking for purchasers but by the state of it, I can't see that happening. Their facebook page detailing a previous failed renovation, alongside the auctioning off of all furnishings of interest. Around the corner, the Victoria Inn, showing signs of how they beat the plague.
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| The Old New Inn - Ridiculously named - surely to be flattened |
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| Oh I do like to be beside the pubside - Priddy's Victoria Inn and their beach huts |
Into the National Trust owned Dursdon Wood estate, where the height is lost on a descent through Ebbor Gorge Valley to Wookey Hole. Glastonbury Tor reveals itself, through a gap in the clouds.
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| Glastonbury Tor, illuminated by a gap in the clouds |
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| The top of Ebbor Gorge |
Mud all the way back to Wells. I try to convince owners of impeccably clean dogs that perhaps another route would require less afternoon hose pipe action but they seem sanguine about the path states.
I have 90 minutes in Wells before the public transport. I can save money on organsised tours of Hot Fuzz locations by using an Adventure Lab Cache. Sites include the falling spire, the swan capture and of course, the "Battle of Sandford". Architectural sight-seeing also included.
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| Hot Fuzz |
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| Bishops Palace, Wells |
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| Wells Cathedral |
Refreshments, are of course, also required. Although not if you follow Somerville's Dads advice from the book. A keen walker himself, he had a very different outlook on life to most other ramblers.
Everything about his preparations was very sparse and frugal. No pies, no pints, no pubs - God Forbid. That sort of thing was for self indulgent chaps who were busy "digging their graves with their teeth"
Well I'm not having that - what a grump! Wells has two Good Beer Guide Ticks to aim for.
The Full Moon is the pick of the pair and one that I would be happy to call my local. A genial Irish Landlord who when he bans mis-behavers, its not for life. A huge courtyard with the most permanent looking temporary structure ever found. Have you ever been in a gazebo with a pool table, table football, Chesterfields and a large screen for watching the seasonal egg-chasers?
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| Party Party at the Full Moon |
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| Proper Job - Cheddar Ales Crown and Glory |
The age of The Crown can be determined by it's Wi-Fi code of 14501450. The bible talks about a Quaker preaching to the masses in 1685. In keeping with my ALC, it was the local in the 2006 Edgar Wright film. Bistro all the way, but at least the pub bit was separate. Even if every table was occupied by diners.
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| Interior shots were in the Royal Standard, Beaconsfield, Film (and pub) fans. |
Walk Details
Distance - 9 miles
Geocaches - 5 and an Adventure Lab Cache
Previous Walks - January, February
Walk Inspiration - 100 Walks in Somerset and Avon, Walk 97
Good Beer Guide Ticks - #805 and #806
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