Saturday 21 May 2022.
DH, RW, PC, PCL, TO, DL, IP, Sully, Scrumpy, Bill, Newton & the bearded lady.
Having been absent for the last 2 weeks and leaving things in the very capable hands of my 2IC Richard, it was my shout this week to organise a short local walk and I opted to meet in the Hunters Lodge car park and then walk up Tally’s Lane from Leigh Common into Pen Forest.
A good turnout, only missing Adrian & Brian (who hopefully managed to find his sons missing house), and after the regular dogs had welcomed Phil’s visitor to the walk, we headed off northwards into the most southerly portion Selwood Forest that stretches along the ridge line and marks the county boundary between Somerset and Wiltshire. It is also the start of a magnificent expanse of unbroken forestry, a small portion of the ancient royal hunting ground of Selwood Forest which stretches some 15 miles across to the Longleat Estate before it losses its green canopy on the western fringes of Salisbury Plain.
The walk up Tally’s Lane, although close to home for many of us, was a new route for around half of the group, and once through the small muddy patches the firm track slowly climbed into the depth of the woods as it slowly veered eastwards. At the top of the climb, a finger post pointed right and as we walked along another section of The Monarch’s Way, we crossed through a couple of gates and made our way on a smaller path to come out on the banks of a small but picturesque lake. Having been on the route before Sully had beaten us all to the lake and by the time we arrived he was well and truly enjoying the cooling waters. Not being a swimmer he stayed close to the sides as he occasionally popped out to check we were watching him. An early stop for this weeks selfie and a chance for Trevor to prank those unfortunate enough to be stood next to him, or was he just emphasising that he is now the Castle Cary councillor with responsibility for Dog Poo? A crap job but someone has to do it!
A steady climb through an open field soon has us arrive an an area of ditches and banks, sign of some early earthworks. In fact we were on the edge of one of the 5 Norman castles in the area. Balland Castle was a motte and bailey castle, probably built after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, near the village of Penselwood. The castle sits close to the contemporary Norman castles of Cockroad Wood and Castle Orchard, and may have been built as part of a system of fortifications to control the surrounding area. The motte of the castle is now around 5m high, and up to 9m wide. The bailey lies to the south, and both the motte and the bailey are surrounded by ditches. Today the castle site is a scheduled monument.
Whilst discussing the site, Dereck took the opportunity to reveal this weeks confectionery delights and Iain was the dogs best friend as he shared out some tasty treats.
It was then just a short climb up to one of the village roads, where on pausing to pass through the gate, the terrific view across to our west the modern day equivalent to Ballard Castle, the dubious camp site of Sunny Hill was clearly visible in the mid distance. Turning left along the lane and heading towards the village green and church we took the left fork and then turned left down a small track. we were already well over half way through our allotted 90 minutes this week and time was a bit tight to get back to The Hunters for our breakfast at 10.30 or else we would have ventured into the Nature reserve of Moldrams ground, maybe another time!
The tarmac track soon turned to a rather stony lane and with the recent heavy rain there was a steady supply of sharp stones all across the track to test out those new insoles. Passing part of the Forest Lodge stud farm we encountered a couple of horses being tended to and another being carefully ridden as we approached the main track once more.
Being at the front we spotted a buzzard land and perch on one of the branches and observed it for a good few seconds before it again took flight on its hunt for food, or a mate I guess! Just about visible on the lower branches in the first photo below.
With the prospect of breakfast going cold or even worse missing, Trevor and Bill upped the pace at the front as we enjoyed the walk back through Stavordale Estate and through the wonderful canopy of mature ancient trees, alongside many which had unfortunately fallen during the recent winter storms, ready to provide the decaying ground cover so vital for the many woodland creatures to make their homes in.
It was all downhill as we made our way back along Tally‘s Lane, and with almost military precision we arrived back at the car park at dead on (or pretty close to) 1030. Had it not been for a slight canine Kerfuffle when a caged dog in the back of a car forced it way out of its enclosure and set about barking one at a time in the face of our placid 5 dogs, the 3 mile walk was incident free and as always enjoyed by all.
Some pretty nifty service and following a short debate about the best way to prepare the cups of tea (bag in pot or cup?) the large breakfasts, sadly lacking in toast were quickly consumed, well they do get a bit cold quickly sat outside.
Next week Richard and myself will be getting plenty of miles in around the WW1 battlefields of Ieper in Belgium, so we look forward to hearing about the walk on our return.
The photo below is from the year I took a certain young Miss Cook & Miss Waller to do the same walks and was taken on my 50th Birthday. I can assure you it wasn’t every year I was given a bottle of port by the cadets and a cake (just visible in the corner), courtesy of Mrs Waller.
