Chilcompton January walk
Tuesday 4th January – Chilcompton
Walk Leaders: Patsy & Alan
At 10.15am on Tuesday 4th January Allan and Patsy are leading a 4 mile walk with 2 stone & 8 dog friendly wooden stiles from the Somerset Wagon Inn Chilcompton BA3 4JW.
We will start by walking through beside the pub and picking up a path which wends its way through the back of Chilcompton by a newish housing estate and down through some light woodland, through horsey country, and up the other side, a steep slope, to parsonage Lane. Then across slightly soggy fields, to Manor Farm. More upward walking (quite steep) across fields with mud at the stiles but great views. We will take the ups slowly. Finally, we meet Green Ditch Lane and follow it through the little hamlet of Clapton. Leaving stiles and mud behind us we go along Crossway Lane and Green Ditch Lane back to Chilcompton. There is a little pavement walking to get back to the pub. We reckon to be back around 12.30/45 for lunch. Sticks are recommended for the first half of the walk as the ground is likely to be somewhat slippery underfoot, particularly going down slopes. The lanes are quiet and fairly narrow, and Parsonage Lane needs care.
Report
Fourteen of us met at the Somerset Wagon on a cold but dry morning for our first walk of the New Year, it was an opportunity to banish the excesses of the Festive season. The walk was a mix of some slopes and level ground interspersed with eight stiles and two stone which in the main were negotiated with ease !
Rolling fields and some good views allowed us to cast our eyes over a wide distance passing St John’s Church and the Holy Cow Tea Room at Manor Farm, then into the hamlet of Clapton with its village hall and pub (although I think it is up for sale) and then on to Crossway and Green Ditch Lane.
The mudometer showed five which to most was an accurate reading! It could have been a lot worse....
We returned to the Odd Down Inn for lunch and a chat after what had been a thoroughly enjoyable 3.8 mile walk.
Report by Keith