Halsway and Crowcombe via Halsway Post - 4 November 2010

For early November it was very warm, if rather windy, with temperatures around 16 deg C. In fact, when walking, it was warm enough to wear nothing heavier than a T shirt and I carried my waterproof jacket the whole way. The circular (actually more like a rectangle) 4.5 mile walk took me 2 hours 20 minutes.

Autumn Colours near Halsway Manor

I was able to park my car in a lay-by where a lane branches off the main A358 near Halsway Manor At about 1415 I set off up the lane to   Halsway Manor which is England's National Centre for Traditional Music, Dance and Song. The only dancing outdoors was the swirling of the falling leaves in the stiff breeze but the Autumn colours were impressive.

I followed a track just to the North-West of the manor that led quickly, but not all that steeply onto the open ground of the Quantock Hills. Unfortunately, the sky above the hills became dark grey. Together with the strong wind this made the moorland seem rather bleak and empty, just how I like it!

I turned left and headed towards Halsway Post, above the top of Halsway Coombe. There were the usual fine views to the West, even though visibility was reduced by a mellow haze that appeared to merge into low cloud over the Brendon Hills. The high parts of the Quantocks are now predominanty yellow and red-brown as winter approaches.

Autumn colours on the Quantocks above Halsway Combe

Although the hills themselves continues to be overshadowed by dark cloud, shafts of sunlight could be seen lighting up the vale between the Quantocks and the Brendons. This emphasised the contrast between the browns of the hills and the still lush greens of the lower ground. In fact, this year, with lower than usual rainfall in the late spring and early summer, the grass has seemed to grow better in the autumn than it did in the summer.

Near Halsway post a hunt became apparent in the form of a few 4 x 4 vehicles, the distant sound of a hunting horn and horseriders. No dogs though. The track along the top of the Quantocks is passable for 4 wheel drive motor vehicles and these can spoil a walk. As I got nearer to Crowcombe Park Gate I could see a collection of horse boxes parked off the road.


Before reaching Crowcombe Park Gate I left the msin track and took a narrow footpath which leads down to the north western end of Crowcombe village. At first though my route almost doubled back on itself before curving round to a more south westerly direction. The path leads to a gate beyond which it leaves the wild open country and crossed green pastures. It crosses a track using a pair of styles. One of these was in need of repair.

A shaft of sunlight over the green vale

The sun breaks through near Crowcombe

As I crossed the higher field the sun broke through a gap in the layer of cloud with a great golden blaze of light.
The route back to my car from Crowcombe was partly along the Quantock Greenway. The first part of this is a path that follows the A358 main road and is in places only a couple of yards from it. The second part goes through Halsway on a back lane. This is a detour but avoids a stretch where the road is narrow and ther is no verge to escape the traffic.