Saturday 30th July RW , PC and Scrumpy
We joined forces outside Phil’s house in Bruton High Street. After parking the car in Higher Backway outside the PrimarySchool, we set off through some wooden bollards into Cheeks Lane. The following is nicked from the Bruton walks website and amended slightly for our walk.
Go straight ahead, into and through the small Tolbury Mill estate, and leave the houses up a steep and sometimes muddy footpath. On reaching the wood, the path swings right then left again, climbing to reach an open field at a kissing gate. After going through the gate look back for a view of the Church, with Alfred’s Tower on the skyline in the distance. Take a few steps to the side to view the Dovecote. You will be there in 30 minutes or so. Here we met a very friendly local walker coming towards us who encouraged us to enjoy the day.
The field was planted with a healthy cereal crop. Take the right hand of the two faint paths crossing the field, heading just to the right of an electricity pole. Scrumpy set off along the alternative path and was soon popping up on her hind legs to see where we were.
The path runs down to another kissing gate hidden in the bottom right hand corner of the field. Go through the gate and turn left onto the B3081. Just a few steps further turn left into the drive of On the Brook.
Turn left again immediately, into the woods, then immediately fork right downhill. The path swings left through the coppiced bottom margin of the wood. It can get muddy here. Eventually reach houses, almost hidden behind vegetation to the left. Take a narrow path but clear path to the right (if you get to the road you have missed it). The path runs steeply downhill between stone walls and can be slippy in wet weather.
At the bottom turn left along Huish Lane (a good track) and follow it to reach Tolbury Lane. The nearly-completed new house being built here is quite out of keeping with the surroundings and must have cost a packet. Turn right downhill, then along the side of the ford.
At the far end of the ford go straight ahead on the tarmac path. The former mill-leat runs to the left. The path crosses a footbridge (over part of the flood prevention scheme), continues past the duckpond and drops down between stone walls to reach the High Street.
Cross the road and go down Mill Lane opposite. The road turns sharp left and becomes Lower Backway. After a house on the right turn right to follow Riverside Walk. Cross a footbridge, turn left uphill at the junction of paths and go up the wooden steps to reach Plox. Cross the road (taking care as traffic on the one-way system often crests the brow of the hill to the left rather too fast).
Go up Godminster Lane opposite, and over the railway. Turn left to enter Jubilee Park (dogs on leads please). Head diagonally across the playing field towards the trees to your right, then on to and over one of the several stiles into the Dovecote field (alternatively there is a gate well to the left near the multi-use games area).
Scramble up to the Dovecote (the slope is less steep from the small car park). Once up the hill go around the town side of the Dovecote and stop to admire the view.
Continue through the rather rickety gate ahead and follow the path along the top of the ridge, with views of Bruton to your left. Turn right where the fence turns right [a further fence is to be built here at some time in late 2020/21: if it has been, go through the gate and turn right]. To your left are the Abbey Fishponds, an ancient monument, now more of a marsh than ponds. This section can be muddy. At the end of the ponds swing right and back down the far side to reach the gate at the bottom. [This section, also muddy in winter, is to be given an all-weather surface in 2020/21]. Go through the gate and onto Station Road, turning right after the bridge into the station approach.
We then took the path leading from Bruton Station to join Darkey Lane which crosses the Brue and took us up to Brewham Road. The nostalgic sight of my parents' old house, Highfield, was slightly tinged with regret at the neglected orchard…once my father’s pride and joy. Following Brue Close into East Field we then crossed the A361 , through Burrowfield and behind the houses until we reached the path at the top of Uphills estate. We crossed back through to Coombe Street and so to the car at the Primary School.
As Bruton lacks any suitable breakfast facility, we went back to Waller Towers for a delicious plateful provided by Sarah – an automatic ten out of ten!