Crisis on Creech Hill

26th November RW , TO , DL , PC , PC , Pete and Scrumpy

The first thing to say at the outset is that Pete is absolutely fine and no harm was done at the end of this dramatic morning’s walk. Except perhaps to the internal mechanics of Pete’s car which was given a good going over by Trevor on his drive to Wincanton.

Surprisingly there was a good turn out for a walk organized in the absence of Red Leader, including Phil’s friend Pete who will probably treat any future invitation with scepticism. We met in the Bruton Primary School car park with the intention of avoiding too much claggy ground by staying high and away from streams and bogs. We struck out northwards on the lane past Tolbury Farm and turned right at the new build property which we have seen under development for the past year or so. The narrowing path ends at a ford crossed by a concrete footbridge and this was our only serious encounter with mud.

The footpath then passes along the inside of a classic Somerset hedge row; possibly the course of an old drovers trail. Emerging at the top of a brief climb, we get a view back down a gentle coombe towards Bruton. The path then twists a couple of times before we reach a cattle unit where previously a flourishing stock of Friesian calves were housed. The group was in good spirits at this point and the weather was smiling on us compared with the dreary damp conditions which have prevailed in recent days.

At this point we set off on a new route up Creech Hill Lane which as the name suggest climbs gently to the top of the major local landmark where Romans built their temples two thousand years ago. Again we were making our way along a sunken lane within the hedge row and eventually we were rewarded with a super view across to Alfred’s Tower. At the top of this track we came to Creech Hill Farm , a collection of farm buildings with access to the main road between Bruton and Evercreech.

Unfortunately. Pete began to show signs of stress at this point. The colour had drained from his cheeks, he was feeling faint and he was wobbly on his pins to the point where a couple of us stood either side to make sure he didn’t collapse. Quick decisions were made: Pete sat down safely , Trevor and Richard were selected for a swift trip back to Bruton to get transport and phones checked so that coms could be maintained across the group as it split.

Fortunately, the paths back to the car were largely downhill and we swiftly covered the ground back to the car park. The only update we had was that Phil had found Scrumpy’s lead in case we were missing it. No news was good news as no crisis had arisen for Pete. We had planned to drive Pete’s car back up to collect him for the drive back to Wincanton. Unfortunately, Pete’s more modern keyless ignition defeated us and we could not start it…even after asking a passerby if he had any ideas. It did not seem to occur to this bloke that we might not be the owners of the vehicle.

So we raced back to Creech Hill Farm to retrieve Pete in Trevor’s car and found him in better spirits and in good enough shape for us to relax a little and plan the next steps. Obviously Pete could not continue walking so we decided he and Deryck should return home, Phil and Pete would complete the walk and Richard and Trevor would do the driving. This is when Trevor helmed Pete’s lovely motor with great verve through the back lanes of Brewham , bouncing off the hedges and increasing Pete’s blood pressure (no doubt to offset the low blood pressure which had caused such concerns).

The car survived and Pete was safely home. We then reassembled the remaining walkers at Cat’s Café in Bruton High Street…reminiscent of some retro caffs on TV sitcoms it was bustling with customers and the full English was delicious, served on piping hot plates and matched with a generous supply of tea. This is a great place for future breakfasts, despite the no dogs policy which would otherwise be a complete blocker. Scrumpy had been returned to home beforehand.

So, our response to a health scare had been surprisingly efficient and we found a great new option for breakfast. Not a bad morning’s work.