Saturday 14th October ‘23. DH, RW, AC, TO, BFS, DL, JB, Scrumpy & Albus
Another new cafe and partially new route saw us gather at 0900 Critchell Manor, just west of Frome, at what used to be a golf club but is now home to Frome football club and all their junior teams. The place was pretty deserted when the seven of us arrived (some a lot earlier than others) and that included the cafe being closed, which despite ordering online the day before, was a bit of a worry.
We headed out along the driveway on which we had just entered the grounds and turned left along the road for about 200m, before turning left again through a gateway tucked in the corner of the hedgerow and into our first field of the day. A couple of lads just exiting a property by the side of the field informed us there were cattle in the field, so the dogs had a bit longer to wait before being let off. As we crossed the field it was obvious that the heavy rains we had experienced back home on Friday afternoon had also deposited a lot of water in this area as the field was pretty squelchy, the first stage on its way to being claggy. It was clear sign that despite the bright sunshine and clear skies that the Indian summer was well over and we were heading towards the latter part of Autumn.
The first gateway through the hedge was quite tight and Adrian almost lost his woollen hat on a bramble and we all have to show some nimbleness as with a large brown puddle blocking the far side it was either tip toe around the edge or stretch across in one long bound. As we contoured around the hillside Trevor spotted in the lower area a crop of mushrooms and despite appealing for a younger fitter person to pop down to gather some, he was left with no option but trek down himself to investigat. Fortunately there was at least one that had not got too wet in the rain which was picked and then carried around the rest of the walk in the most suitable container available - a fresh poo-bag.
Our path took us through another gate and down a gentle slope past a couple of nice properties forming part of the hamlet of Egford. Whist waiting for those who supported the mushroom expedition earlier to catch up, a dear old lady came out of the cottage to enquire if we were all OK, as we stood outside her lovely thatched cottage. Maybe we looked tired already at that point?
We crossed the road, past another beautiful stone residence and into a small car park which marked the top of Vallis Vale. As we entered the woods the sound of running water grew louder until on our left we got the first sight of Egford brook in full flow following the previous days rain. This stream is one we have previously walked alongside as it flows from Nunney to join the Mells river at the bottom of the vale. As we followed the stream down into the valley it crossed over a few small dams of stones whilst we had to take avoiding action in places where large puddles covered the width of the track.
By the early 18th century Vallis Vale, was recognised as a source of high-quality lime, due to the high Calcium Carbonate content of the Vallis Limestone which outcrops in the valley. Writing in the 1720s John Strachey declared the lime “most in repute” was that of Cheddar, Gurney Slade, Great Elm and Vallis Vale near Frome. Lime burning continued in the area into the 19th century, and in 1859 tenders were requested for a new kiln in the valley. A year later it was announced that the “Old Lime Kiln” at Vallis Vale had been brought back into use after having been “closed for many years”. The remains of a number of kilns survive in at Vallis Vale, including a well-preserved circular one which we passed on our right side.
It was only around 500 metres before we came to an old metal footbridge which took us across the Mells River just where it was joined by the Egford brook. We turned left and started heading upstream, across another footbridge and onto a section of the track we previously walked back in the summer of ‘22, as part of our walk along the disused railway above Melllas which ran between Frome and the Radstock coal fields. On the far bank the hamlet of Bedlam came into view, which it is found is one of three hamlets which along with Hapsford make up the village of Great Elm. A village website http://greatelm.org/history/ (insecure as not https) details a lot of the history of the village and area, including the two earliest known settlements in the area, the hill forts of Tedbury and Wadbury.
We crossed under the railway line which runs right into Wheatley quarry and enters a tunnel which runs underneath the minor road we would be shortly walking up. Just before we came to the large mill on the far bank which previously made good use of the fast flowing river, I remembered a fairly impressive geological feature on the side of the track which I have written more about in a previous blog. However for those who missed it, the feature is known as an unconformity and is where layers of rock lay at different angles due to movement and erosion over thousands of years. There is a short explanation here but more can be found online. We continued upstream until we came to a road leading to a stone bridge over the river. This was an obvious spot for some confectionery and also, risking the passing traffic, for todays selfie with the riverside cottage standing out in the bright sunlight.
After a good five minute breather and with energy restored we headed up the road at a slow and steady pace. Just before the top we rested again in a large lay-by area to allow a lady on horseback to move past us.
At the top as the road bent round to the left we continued ahead and into a field and straight across to the far corner, where the crossing point was well hidden in the hedge. It was just a simple flat stone layer on its side but it was quite a significant step over, so it was quickly identified that an easier route through a couple of gateways would be more sensible for those following. The next stile was also a bit tricky but everyone safely negotiated it and continued across the last field. The final stile back onto the road was also another tricky one, partially obscured by low hanging hedging back it created a low tunnel through to a very tight stone aperture and a couple of steps down. From here it was downhill and back to the top of Vallis Vale from where we retraced our steps back to the football grounds. A slightly longer than normal 4.6 miles completed in just over 2 hours.
By now there were a couple of youth teams playing on the junior pitches and cars parked along side just off the grass, rather than using the pretty large car park. I popped into the cafe quickly to check on the route through to the outside tables as I had been told that dogs were not permitted inside, but thankfully the rule had been bent for us and we had a long table all ready for us along the clubhouse wall. The cafe is currently run by a niece of my sister in law and is named the Gouldy08 after her football mad son who was tragical killed as a passenger in a car crash some three years ago. A signed football shirt hangs in the foyer in his memory. Having confirmed that we would all like fried eggs with our breakfasts it wasn’t long before drinks and then our meals arrived at the table courtesy of two very helpful waitresses. Knowing that the main chef was off sick today, the breakfast produced by Kim with help from her mum Jean, was very good indeed. Considering the tasty bacon and good sausages the cost of £8.50 was certainly on a par with other recent cafes. Another one we will be back to again sometime soon.
The origin of the cafe name from their Facebook page -
Why are we called Gouldy08?
In early spring 2021 we were given the keys to the clubhouse at Critchill Manor Estate, with the plan of opening a cafe in the summer/autumn 2021. We were in the process of decorating and getting everything up together with all the family helping out including our 3 children. On the night of the England Euro final, we all watched the final down the clubhouse with friends, our oldest son joined us for the second half and penalties then he was going back out. We were talking behind the bar then he saluted a wave as he went out the double doors at 11pm. We cleaned up then went home but was soon awaken by a knock at the door with 3 policemen outside. We will never forget those words coming out of the policeman’s mouth, at 11:45pm Lewis was involved in a RTC and died at the scene. Lewis was a passenger in his friends car. He was 19 years old. From that moment our lives, our family would never be the same again.
We have took some time out and 2 years on we have finally opened the family cafe. We wanted our oldest son to still be part of the cafe and to keep his memory alive, our oldest son was always known as Gouldy and was born on the 8th so it’s ‘Gouldy08’.
Komentáře