Where’s Waller

Sat 17 May ‘25 DH, RW, TO, DL, CH, JS, Scrumpy & Maisie

After staying local last week, it was time for a visit to one of the furthest points in our patch today and a trip to the levels to walk a new route along the banks of the River Parrett. RV instructions, including a road name and a map extract were provided mid week as there would be three vehicles heading out to Kingsbury Episcopi, with Chris and John driving from Wincanton and Richard providing door to door chauffeuring duties to the newly elected Mayor of Castle Cary.

John arrived first and found a spot opposite the Wyndham Arms and walked up to Church Street where we parked right next to the phone box which was mentioned in the location description.

We waited for about five minutes before Rich and Trevor turned into the road, from the opposite direction to expected. It was only after he had parked up further towards the church and we all walked up to meet them that the reason was revealed. They had a good run down from Cary heading west through Somerton, and were soon parked up in a car park next to a church. Feeling pleased for being the first to arrive this week, it wasn’t until he checked his phone to confirm the RV that the penny dropped and he realised he was actual in Huish Episcopi, and not Kingsbury Episcopi! Thankfully the two Episcopi’s are not that far apart and it didn’t take too long to drive south through Muchelney and Thorne to join the rest of us. See below for an explanation of the origins of the name Episcopi - to hopefully Dave any further mistakes going forward.

"Episcopi" in Latin translates to "belonging to the bishop" or "of the bishop". It is commonly used as a part of place names, particularly in England, to indicate that a location was once under the authority of a bishop. For example, the village of Huish Episcopi in Somerset, England, derives its name from "Huish" (Old English for "lands" or "household") and "Episcopi" (Latin for "of the bishop"), indicating the village was once under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Wells. Similarly, the village of Kingsbury Episcopi also includes "Episcopi" in its name, indicating its historical association with the Bishop of Bath and Wells.  

We eventually set of some fifteen minutes behind schedule and taking a small track just before the church rooms, we were soon out into the countryside, heading for the river bank. We crossed a bridge over a side stream and then headed south or upstream on the western bank. The ground was good and firm with the last remnants of any dew quickly burning off as the grey skies were slowly turning brighter. In the distance the monument on top of Ham Hill was visible in the distance and the clump of trees atop of Burrow Hill (Not to be confused with Burrow Mump) occasionally visible through the trees. With very few gates or stiles to negotiate we were soon (25 mins) at the mile mark at Gawks bridge, ready to change across to the eastern bank and start heading north or downstream.

The eastern side of the river was significantly different to the mainly grass opposite bank, it that the fields were farmed and in different states of their annual cycle. The first had just had its first cut of the year and then the next field had a crop of potatoes just starting to shoot through the ridged soil. Making the most of the space available, the planting was close to the edges leaving it a bit of a tight path down the side. Scrumpy took the best option, open only to the four legged walkers today, of actually walking between the rows of spuds. Crossing through another gate we then walked alongside a very large field with it well sown crop in perfectly spaced rows just starting to poke through. With the 99 foot high tower of the village church getting closer and just before we reached the point opposite to where we joined the river bank, there was a hedge free section and we finally got a good look at the river. There were more trees along the field edges and as we turned a bend in the river the church of St Martin stood perfectly framed between a gap in the trees and at the end of a still section of water, making a very photogenic scene. The grade 1 listed church, with its typical Somerset Tower constructed from locally quarried Ham Stone, with the nave thought to date back to the 14th Century.

Moving further along another opportunity to photograph more of the church set behind a field full of buttercups had us all reaching for our cameras once again, apart from Richard who in his haste to explain his situation at the start, had unfortunately left his in his car.

We continued northwards with the sun now good and strong on our backs and entered a large apple orchard filling as far as the eye could see to our right. On the opposite bank a large fence was surrounding the playing field and play area to the rear of the villages recreation ground. A bit further along and our bridge back over the river came into view. Had we started on time and moved a bit faster, or I’d booked a later breakfast, we might have been able to make it to the next crossing point up the river, but at a two mile addition, it was certainly beyond our reach today.

It was interesting to notice that the largest span on Coombe bridge is actually the left rather than the middle one. I’m sure there is a perfectly good reason why, but anyone has an ideas write your answers on the back of a ten pound note and pass them to me in a couple of weeks time please.

John kindly took a phot of the remaking five on the bridge, a bit too difficult to do a selfie style on this one. We then walked down Coombe Lane to reach the main road, along which Richard had driven only an hour earlier.

It was the just a steady stroll southwards into the village, passing the very purposeful community hub at the recreational ground, which includes a Post Office and someone to grab a coffee and cake. A little further along we came to a triangular green on which stood a small octagonal building similar to the one found in Castle Cary. These small building were used to lock up unruly individuals in rural areas until further assistance could be obtained. There are other building around Somerset that had a similar function, more info here. This one was built between 1820 and 1840 as a result of an increase in general social and economic upheaval in the country. Sounds familiar!