Another new breakfast cafe

Sat 12 Apr ‘25. DH, TO, DL, JB, CH, Albus & Maisie

With the Easter school holidays already half way through numbers we’re a bit down this week, with just the one car of four from Wincanton and Trevor being the loan representative of the northern contingent. Having tried out the new location on a mid week recce some weeks ago, this would be our first Saturday morning visit to Newland Farm and the Keinton Mandeville area.

We met at 09.00 in the car park and having made the reservation on line, I quickly popped into the cafe to confirm that we were OK to park and that we would be back in 2 hrs time for breakfast.

We headed back up the farm drive and turned left towards the village, before turning right at the first corner onto a wide track which would take us on an anti-clockwise loop around the eastern side of the village. The track is part of the route of the Macmillan Way West, which runs for 102 miles from Castle Cary (where it connects to the original Macmillan Way), and on to Barnstaple in Devon.

Keinton Madeville is an old English village listed in the Domesday Book as Chintone meaning the noble's enclosure from the Old English cyne and tun. The Mandeville part of the village's name allegedly came from Stephen de Mandeville around 1243. It is well known for its history of quarrying and in particular Blue Lias stone, which is found locally in the region, and used in many buildings around the area including the nearby Lytes Cary house.

We turned left onto a bridleway, known as Babcary Lane and headed north towards the B3153, which we crossed onto a mettled road, known as Cottons Lane. After passing a few nice houses on the edge of the village, the road turned into just a narrow footpath as it dropped down hill. The path has recently been repaired after what looks like damage caused to it by recent heavy rains. With the sight of a horse and rider approaching, both the dogs were taken under close control as we passed by very calmly. At the end of the track, in on the edge of a wooded area a large patch on wild rhubarb was growing around a telegraph pole. Giant rhubarb, also known as Gunnera tinctoria, is a large-leaved, fast-growing perennial herb native to South America. While not related to true rhubarb, it gets its name from its large, rhubarb-like leaves. Giant rhubarb is considered invasive in some regions, including the UK, due to its ability to outcompete native vegetation and form dense colonies.

We then headed north along Copis Lane for a couple of hundred metres before turning left onto a small fenced orchard, next to another large property. A choice of two gates ahead of us then but thankfully we selected wisely and went through the first one, as when we arrived by the further one we found it was probably a horse access gate, and was locked. Through another gate and into the corner of a field, where the official right of way led across the diagonal, we paused whilst Deryck got his phone out of his man bag to take his weekly photo of Albus off the lead and enjoying his morning walk. We managed to move him, the dog not Deryck, into a position where he would appear in front of Glastonbury Tor in the distance and let Deryck snap away. Rather than walking the diagonal through long grass we followed around the edge of the field to a gate in the far corner. When we were most of the way round, Dereck suddenly announced that he didn’t have his phone, so whilst we waited he headed back to the portrait location. Thankfully it was recovered quickly and he rejoined us, with the explanation being that it most likely fell from the bag before the zip was closed again.

Once back together we walked into the village of Barton St David, and up one of the side roads to the main road through the village towards Butleigh. We took a short break by a bench and signpost, whilst Chris took the opportunity to search out his next holiday novel in the village library/phone box.

I don’t think he found anything suitable but did report there being a selection of CDs, just in case anyone still has a player at home. At around the half way point, Deryck kindly distributed this week sweetie rations.

Heading on through the fairly affluent looking village we turned a corner and we faced with the parish church of St David (oddly enough) in front of us. The stone church was built between the 12th and 15th centuries and underwent a Victorian restoration in the 19th century. The building has Doulting stone dressings and a tiled roof and consists of a two-bay chancel and three-bay nave with one-bay transepts. The three-stage octagonal north-west tower was added in the 15th century.

There was a Commonwealth War Graves sign by the gate and I wondered if it might be for the grave of a former Sexey’s pupil who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2012, so I took a quick walk amongst the graves to investigate. All I could see was the grave of an 18 year old who lost his life at the very end of World War I, just five days before the armistice was signed in November 1918.

We left the church and village, heading south up a gentle rise on a good farm track, stopping only for this weeks group photo at a clearing in the hedge with Glastonbury Tor visible through the haze. As we created the ridge the views down towards Yeovil and beyond opened up as we pushed on through fields to reach the Cary to Somerton road again. A quick left for 50 metres avoiding the oncoming traffic and then a right turn onto another good farm track which would take us all the way back to the south west side of Keinton Mandeville.  With the lost phone delay and then a right numerous stops we were a little tight on time so the pace was quickened as we headed back to the café. As we passed by the old rectory, former colleague Luigi was walking down towards us from his home in the village. It was all hastily arranged but good to see him again. We paused to look at the memorial stone in the wall and then as we turned the last bend back towards Newlands Farm, another former colleague and her two children and dogs came out from the track we had started our walk along sometime earlier.

We arrived at the café only a few minutes after 11.00 having completed 4.7 miles in a little over two hours and were shown to our reserved table by the window. After ordering food and drink I popped outside to catch up on the last two years of gossip with my former colleagues.

Although the menu choices was quite limited, our drinks and food was served promptly and everyone were pleased with the presentation and quality. All in all a very pleasant walk not too far from home, good company and a cracking new cafe now added to the list.

Next Saturday is our first walk of the year with our good ladies, when we will be heading for the highest point on the Mendips followed by a spot of lunch at the New Inn Balgdon