Monksilver, Birds Hill and Nettlecombe 19 March 2012

View Monksilver and Nettlecombe in a larger map
After week of often misty and then unsettled weather this was a really fine day with clear visibility.

I started from the village of Monksilver. Near the northern end of the village a lane leaves the main route to Wiveliscombe on the right if you are facing that destination. It heads up the side of the valley and a few yards along it a footpath is found on the left leading to Colton Cross. This is part of a long distance footpath known as the Samiritan's Way (South West).

The path climbs, not very steeply, but continuously. For a while a stream runs next to it. After about a third of a mile an opening into a field allowed a view looking back over Monksilver. This was a good spot to eat my packed lunch.

The path continued through woodland around the northern flank of Bird's Hill which reaches a height of around 310 metres. Bluebells were growing in the woods, but were not yet in flower. In a few weeks time these will form a spectacular blue carpet. The route then levels out somewhat before reaching a lane at Colton Cross. Bearing slightly to the right here along a lane an automated meteorological station can be seen. A short distance along the lane there is access via a permitted footpath to a viewpoint which offers fine vistas to the Bristol Channels and across to Wales. There is also an excellent view of Nettlecombe Court which lay further along the route of my walk.

Nettlecombe Court from Bird's Hill meteorological station

Leighland Chapel from Sticklepath

Having continued along the lane for a short distance, I found the footpath on the right hand side of the lane that led to the B3190 road near the hamlet of Sticklepath. From here there was a view of Leighland Chapel which I visited last year.  The Samaritan's way crosses the road and heads towards Leighland Chapel, but my route took me along the road towards Watchet.

Parsonage Pond

A few minutes walk along the road towards Watchet, a footpath left the road on the right and led through Chidgley Farm towards Nettlecombe court. I was soon in the open fields with fine views. There was one awkward bit of navigation a couple of fields further on, where the path descends into a gully and then continues past an isolated house.  It continued along the eastern edge of Nettlecombe Park and soon led me to Parsonage Pond. This is a really delightful spot with reflections of the parkland and the Court in the water.

Nettlecombe Court

Having lingered here and taken some pictures, I walked on past the front of the Court. This is now occupied by the Leonard Wills Field Centre, run by the Field Studies Council. I attended a geography course there in November 1968 as an undergraduate. That was a long time ago, but the area has not changed much.

I walked along the drive leading from the Court towards Woodford. On my left there were several more man-made ponds in a valley. Before reaching the road I left the drive to take a path that followed the stream back to Monksilver. At times I walked beside the water and at other times the path ran along the edge of the fields above the valley.

This had been a delightful Spring walk about 5 miles in length.

The Doone Valley 23 May 2012

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This was my first walk following a period of generally atrocious weather in April and the first half of May.

The morning was misty but the sun came through when I reached the top of Porlock Hill and the temperature started to climb.

The feature known as "The Doone Valley" and the surrounding area  is the inspiration and setting for R D Blackmore's romantic novel Lorna Doone. I have never read the book, but it is set in the 17th century and features a clan of outlaws who lived in the then remote valley. It seems less remote now. Its upper part does not have vehicular access but is a popular walking route and the fictional Doones would get plenty of visitors these days.

There is a car park at Malmsmead which costs £1.50 for the whole day. This hamlet lies at the entrance to the valley. Near here, Badgworthy (pronounced "badgery") Water, the river that flows down the north - south oriented Doone Valley joins Oare Water to become the west flowing East Lyn river. In the Doone Valley Badgworthy Water forms the boundary between the counties of Devon and Somerset.

From the car park I headed up a lane that is signed as the way to the public right of way up the Doone Valley. There is a private path that runs closer to the river in the lower part of the valley. The toll is 50 pence.

Badgworthy Water near Cloud Farm

Where the lane turned sharply to the right the public path continued straight on, The path descends to the river bank near Cloud Farm which has a camp site and a tea room. Beyond Cloud Farm there is no more habitation in the Doone Valley today. The water tumbles over rocks and has some quite deep pools .

A little further on there is a stone memorial to R D Blackmore whose novel, published in 1869, must have introduced Exmoor to many Victorians and today lends its title to many cafes, shops, hotels and so forth. A more modern example is Goathland, on the North Yorkshire Moors, which was the setting for the TV series "Heartbeat".

A good place for lunch

The path then entered  Badgworthy Wood. Oak was the predominant species and the trees were just coming into leaf.  It was time for lunch and I found a good spot by the river.  Continuing up the valley I came across a wooden structure built across the watercourse. This was a set of gates that were hinged so that they could open downstream. There were stock proof fences on the banks either side of the gate so I think the idea is to stop livestock using the shallow water to cross the boundary. The gates would open in times of flood to allow debris to pass downstream.  The temperature was rising by now and the shade provided by the trees was pleasant

Hinged gate

Beyond the woodland the valley became more open and the countryside started to take on an upland nature with scree slopes on the opposite side of the valley.

Badgworthy Water south of Badgworthy Wood 

 After a while my route started to climb above the level of the river and turned westward into Hoccombe Combe, a tributary valley. Other paths, including the long distance Samaritan's Way (south west) continue to the south.  Below the area where the paths diverge there are a number of grassy hummocks. These are all that remain of an abandoned medieval village. This remote settlement seems to have been in decline at least since the 15th century.

The next section of the walk climbed steadily, but not steeply, onto high moorland. Not far beyond the old village site I came across a herd of Devon Red cattle with several calves. As the name suggests, this hardy breed has a rich deep red-brown coloured coat.

Devon Red cattle 

On the moorland the path became rather indistinct and braided, but as visibility was good and the sun was out, I was able to keep heading in the right direction. Having grazed the 400 metre contour near Withycombe Ridge the path became more obvious as it descended to Lankcombe Ford where it crossed a tributary of Badgworthy Water. It then climbed back onto the high moor. I turned to head north onto a track that was signed to Malmsmead.

Open moorland

It was about half a mile further on that something went wrong and another half mile before I realised. According to the map Ordnance Survey OL9) I should have arrived at another ford but there was no sign of it. I had missed the point where the footpath left the made up track that I was walking on and had headed west rather than north. I came to a point where the track turned abruptly to the north - west and this would have brought me back onto my intended route. However, I decided to take a path that carried straight on and then follow a contour. This worked and brought me back to the lane on which I had started but further along. It was hard work as I had to climb into and out of a couple of deeply incised valleys.

It just remained to walk down the lane to Malmsmead to end what had been a very pleasant walk. My intended route had been 6 miles in length but, because of my error, I ended up covering 7.5 miles.

Hurlstone Point in squally weather 5th December 2011

The day was windy with a mixture of sunny spells and vicious showers of rain and hail. I was lucky and only endured one shower. Visibility was good between showers.


View Hurlstone Point in a larger map

The walk was about four miles and took me about two hours. I started from the car park above Bossington, at the end of the North Hill road out of Minehead. There is a network of possible walking routes from here, and although I have visited the area a few times I still managed to find sections I had not walked before.

From the car park I took an unsigned path that headed off in a north westerly direction rather than those signed to the Coast Path or Bossington. I then headed  west until I came to a stile crossing the wall on the edge of Bossington Woods. Looking to my right I could see below me a path heading down Lynch Combe and hoped to be able to meet this path at a lower level. I soon found myself heading south, and would have eventually arrived at Allerford if I continued this way. However, the path eventually slanted downhill to meet the more formally designated foot path that would take me to Hurlstone Point. The path leads down into Lynch Combe, crossing the track in the bottom of the combe before taking a short climb out of it again and more or less following the 100 metre contour to Hurlstone Point. Having been in woodland for some time with glimpses of the view across Porlock Bay, I was glad to get out into the open again.


The official guide to the South West Coast Path web pages describe a walk starting and ending at Bossington described as the  "Hurlstone Point Adventurous Walk". This includes a description of the next section.

In a westerly wind Hurlestone Point is about as exposed as you can get and there were some vicious gusts; but having been this way before, I passed the warning sign and continued cautiously. Although narrow and rather exposed the path is firm and even though I tend to suffer from vertigo where there is a real danger of falling and have never felt inclined to take up rock climbing, I felt reasonably safe.

The shell of a former look-out tower stands above the jagged headland which is composed of the tough Devonian Hangman Grits.

Hurlstone Point look-out station

The narrow path continued with rocks above and a steep grassy slope below. There are steep cliffs at the  foot of this. Further along is a large rock strewn ampitheatre  flanked by sheer rock faces and screes. This is a corner of Somerset that bears some resemblance to parts of the Pennines or the mountains of Wales.

From here, at low water on a calmer day, I would have been looking at the inaccessible Selworthy Sands. I described the access to the beach in an earlier posting. There is also a photo. On this occasion the tide was well up and the sea was rather lively.

Just beyond the look-out station

Rocky ampitheatre above Selworthy Sands

A small path diverts to the left towards the climber/fisherman's rope access to Selworthy Sands, but the path I wanted to follow curved inland before ascending the rear of the ampitheatre in a series of zigzags. It was narrow and it was not obvious from below where it was going to lead. At one point it appeared that there was a path across some scree. This is not the way to go.

The path winds its way to the top of the ridge between the coastal cliffs and the steep sided Hurlestone Combe. Now this really was a windy place to be! I followed a path below the spine of the ridge on its landward side, glad that the wind was behind me and not in my face. The path led to the meeting of ways at the head of the combe. Just as I reached this, I was battered by a shower of hailstones that came at me horizontally from behind. Now I really was glad I was not trying to go in the opposite direction. Fortunately, this did not last long and I followed familiar tracks back to the car park.

I have not been for a significant walk since then and my feet are getting itchy.