Monoman on Tor (part 2)
Monday I walked from Glasto to Ham Wall nature reserve, a massive complex of wetlands to the west of the town. There were probably scores of rare birds on display, but I'm illiterate when it comes to 'twitching' and didn't notice. In the roaring afternoon sun I headed north to the village of Meare, which is embedded in low-lying countryside intersected by a network of waterways, or rhynes. It resembled the Cambridgeshire Fens, so I felt right at home, but it made getting around tricky; rhyne crossings were in short supply. I'd spotted some drovers tracks that I wanted to check out but couldn't figure out how the hell to get to them because the River Brue was in the way. In the end I gave up and followed the trackway alongside the river back to Glastonbury, which was a bit of a trial as fences had to be climbed every few metres and nettles waded through.
Next day I got in the motor and headed south, beginning with the painfully picturesque village of Compton Dowden. The OS map identified a nearby 'hollow lane', a byway, which passed through woodland; in reality it was more of a muddy bridleway, winding steeply towards the wooded summit of Combe Hill, but the pay off was an amazing view once I'd reached the top.
In the afternoon I did Wells, England's smallest city. Last time I visited must've been 20 years ago and at the time I thought it was the sort of backwater old people go to die. Since then, like so many other places, it's been cleaned up, redeveloped and gentrified to the hilt; the streets are now dominated by estate agents, gastropubs, coffee shops, trendy restaurants and 'artisan bakeries'. There's no getting away from the fact that the city is a lovely mix of medieval and period architecture; lots of narrow back streets and cottages nestling under the stern gaze of Wells cathedral, which is undeniably impressive considering the city is smaller than my home town of Bury St Edmunds. Cathedral highlights include the medieval clock (plus animatronic jousting knights); the strangely modern-looking c.14th bow-shaped supports, designed to stop the crossing tower collapsing; the chapter house, and the extensive tracery, especially in the vaulting, which is incredibly detailed. The moated bishop's palace next door, enclosed within a high curtain wall, is also worth checking out.
My strange enthusiasm for green lanes and old trackways is well documented, and the OS map revealed a whopper just north of Wookey Hole: Dursdon Drove. It was 6pm but I couldn't resist, so drove the 15 mins or so out of Wells, found the entrance and started walking. I liked that fact that, whilst everyone was rushing home to their dinner, I was yomping across a deserted hill-top, 265m above sea level. As the name suggests, the track was originally a drover's way. Dry-stone walls either side marked its original width, a good 30ft, but hedgerows had been planted since then; now it's just wide enough for a tractor and still used by vehicles from the few farms that lined the route. The track ended at the hill's highest point, with stunning uninterrupted views south across the Somerset Levels; I could even spot Glastonbury Tor in the distance, 13 or so miles away.
Wednesday my dogs were barking, as they say, so I eased off on the walking and drove to Cadbury Castle. Again, more stunning views from the top of this Iron Age hill fort / alleged site of the original Camelot. I spent about an hour just sitting, listening to the iPod (Sunn O))) if you must know) and absorbing the view.
In the afternoon I returned to Compton Dundon, entirely because of a lane I'd spotted earlier in the week which was heaving with bramble bushes. I've honestly never seen so many ripe blackberries in one place; it was easy pickings, despite being so late in the year. And the varieties were numerous. Even so, I picked only a fraction of the (apparently) 500 microspecies in the UK. After another trip to Wells to collect provisions (including a rare bottle of Somerset cider brandy, matured in oak casks retrieved from the shipwreck of the MSC Napoli which sank off the Devonshire coast in 2007), I went back to the cottage and made two blackberry and apple pies: one for the Knight family, and one for me (which lasted me three whole days!)
Posted by monoman at 01:46 PM on October 17, 2008
