A glorious spring morning greeted this weeks 5 walkers as we assembled in the car park at Mere. Following a quick debate about “coats or not” we headed off without them for our walk out to Zeal’s. Passing the town church we headed west on the Monarchs way through a small field of sheep and lambs before the track took us through an area of horticultural glass houses. Some in better state of repair than others. Phil with his previous plant growing experience soon guessed there was a Dutch connection and rightly so one of the signs on the sight certainly had a very Dutch name on it. There was certainly one or two newer glass houses and plants at various stages could be seen inside them. A bit quiet on a Saturday morning but I guess a hive of activity at potting up time.
Ensuring both Sully & Scrumpy were on their best behaviour, they passed the dog training centre without a second glance. Nice open fields with no livestock treated us at the next style before we crossed the B3092 Mere to Gillingham road, and headed into the grounds of Zeals house and estate. We passed an odd, half looking house on our right, which looks like it might have been a gate lodge at some point before dropping down to a couple of beautiful properties. The views out across to Duncliffe woods were stunning, a view to our lefts that we would keep on our left for the next mile or so.
The pathway took us through a small wooded area where the run off from the lake in front of Zeal’s house provided Sully with his first paddle of the day. Sadly the vegetation stopped us from seeing the lake and also much of Zeal’s House, although we could see the granduar of it and the bell tower sitting at the highest point. The house was used as a school after the end of WW2 as Stroud school moved in for a few years from Surrey and there is still an alumni who met there a few years ago. The school still exists in Romsey, Hampshire.
Also on the estate is a house with links back to the bright lights of Hollywood and the famous British actress Vivian Leigh. Her first husband bought Manor Farm house and although they divorced before she married Lawrance Olivier, she was a guest at the house many times. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche DuBois in the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Continuing along through easy walking fields, with views over the Blackmoor Vale and deer gently grazing in the fields beyond, we eventually arrived at the village of Wolverton, passing some rather untended looking watercress beds before descending to the village road, where we left the Monarchs way and turned left. One side of the triangle completed!
It was a good steady walk along the road for the next half mile or so, past the Zeals fishery and along side a beautiful clear running brook for most of the way. Wild water cress could be seen at many parts along the way, no doubt escapees from the beds earlier. We left the road and headed back into the fields, crossing the B3092 again before turning left again and heading back up towards Mere, the church tower being directly in our sights as that and Castle Hill grew larger the closer we got to them.
Our 4 1/4 mile walk completed it was back to Pete's for a cracking sausage and bacon breakfast sat on the patio. Another "coming out of lockdown" walk completed.
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