Croscombe & Dinder Walk
Thursday 19th January – Croscombe & Dinder
Walk Leaders: Nicky & David
Across fields to Dinder then an uphill stretch to Sharcombe Park and heading towards Kings Castle and then across the Lyatt. We continue on Lyatt Lane then across a field to pick up West Lane back down to Croscombe. This is a repeat of the walk last done in August 2021.
Report
Despite there being sub-zero temperatures and having been widespread black ice the day before, a record twentyfour of us set off from Croscombe Village Hall. Everyone was very well wrapped up and armed with poles or sticks for stability.
We set off across the hills towards Dinder. It was a glorious sunny morning with mist in the valley. We were thankful at this point that the ground was frozen hard, as several of the entries to the fields were extremely muddy. The lanes were very icy, with frozen puddles and black ice, so we had to walk very carefully. Once the other side of Dinder we headed up the lane towards Sharcombe Park and stopped at the top of the lane to learn about the anti-tank obstacles, which were part of the Second World War Taunton Stop Line.
We turned off and headed towards Kings Castle Wood. The path became extremely muddy here. We then skirted Kings Castle Wood and continued on up to the Lyatt, where we sat and had our coffee in the glorious sunshine.
Once off the Lyatt, we followed Lyatt Lane, passing through the very large solar farm. After negotiating two very high stone stiles and one double one, we completed our last uphill section and it was all downhill then. We descended the steep West Lane into Croscombe. Thankfully, by then, the sun had thawed most of the ice. Miraculously we finished the walk without anyone having fallen over.
It was a lovely 5+ mile walk, on a fabulously sunny, but cold, blue-sky day.
Report by Jane G