A sunny day, mid-May, and a walk that has a bit of everything—thatched cottages, castle ruins, grand country estates and meandering riverside walking. On this wonderful spring day, we (Alastair, Becky and Emma) struck out from a small Somerset village with a picture-perfect green.
Impressive houses built on the wealth of a booming wool industry in centuries past dotted our route before we headed out into fields. It’s the time of year when the countryside bursts into life, grasses, wildflowers and crops all shoot up in response to the warmer temperatures and longer days. Hawthorn, cow parsley, and now swathes of buttercups lined our route in this peaceful corner of South West England.
We seemed to be walking from one idyllic spot to the next as we shadowed the course of the river. A few miles in, we came across an old packhorse bridge, a beautiful, tranquil spot where I could still imagine horse-drawn carts rumbling by. We stayed a while on the bridge, listening to the sound of the water and watching an egret busying itself in and around the river.
The peacefulness continued as we followed our Trail Guide on to the next village, past beautiful thatched cottages to the impressive ruins of a 14th century castle. We continued to follow the river down past the ruins, giving us ample time to wonder at how much busier these trails would have been back then, as the castle and village inhabitants went about their daily lives. As it was, we had the trails to ourselves (along with a collection of sheep and a large hare we saw bounding off into the distance).
We meandered along following the course of the river, which took us to the next hidden gem on this walk, a spectacular country manor nestled in the river valley. Rounding the corner and walking towards the grand arched bridge, the wisteria-bedecked manor house in the background, was a wonderful site, and arguably the highlight of the walk for me.
From here, we were soon heading towards our destination through more lush countryside, past fine churches and a medieval tithe barn, eventually emerging into a bustling market town, where our inn was waiting.
Emma, Alastair and Becky were out checking our Castle on the Frome trail, which is part of our Bath & The Avon Valley inn-to-inn trip. If you’d like to know more, visit our website or send us an email.
