Walking up the gradual climb from West Quantoxhead on to the Quantock Hills this morning there was no human sound to be heard.Just a wonderful cacophony of robin, chiff chaff, coal tit and blackbird. I heard my first cuckoo of the Summer.
Higher up on the hill, there aren't many trees...
and those that are, look lonely!
From Beacon Point (1070 feet)
a path leads to a junction on
"The Great Road".
I've always been excited by the idea of a great road from when as children, if we went anywhere near the A5, dad would say, "if we stayed on that road, we'd go all the way to London" - with all the exciting images that would conjour!
It's exciting to think of those who've walked these tracks before.
Just along The Great Road these horses seemed timeless.
I stood still for ages watching them in silence. Beautiful.
Apart from one mountain biker, I'd seen no one all morning. Eventually, between Halsway Soggs and Black Hill, I met Nick Gudfreund walking his fox red labrador "Cedar"
Nick is a furniture designer and maker. His particular love is marquetry. We talked about the process of getting veneers from logs and how and where he sources his materials. I knew there'd long been calls for stronger control over the extraction of endangered hardwoods from in particular Brazil and Indonesia so it was great to hear of his passion for indiginous British timbers.
One of his recent commisions was for the Captain's table on the aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth.
I remembered the chorus from Heart of Oak -,, .....steady boys steady!. A great name for a table!
The track led on to Robin Upright's Hill and
Dead Woman's Ditch
Not a place to be on a still moonlit night!!
With no one else around, the walking was superb as I dropped down through Seven Wells Wood
to Adscombe Farm where for late lunch I had a coffee and an enormous sausage roll.
Keeping away from roads and staying on footpaths, my route took me to the lovely church at Spaxton.
where I met Sally and Melanie. Sally looks after the key for the church. She tutors teaching assitants at the weekend and was enjoying her day off tending plants in her beautiful garden and brand new greenhouse.
Melanie told me of her long walk on the Camino.
The church is dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch. There was an account in the church of what she endured under those despicable Romans ..and her miraculous survival. It's worth a read.
Walking across the fields between Spaxton and Charlynch I met some other ladies doing their bit.....
...Small tortoishell
and Peacock.
The footpath led straight through the churchyard and deposited me into a large field of wheat.
The logic of the Countryside Code isn't altogether clear on this one.
"Help stop damage to crops by walking around the edge of a field unless there is an existing path across it".
The OS clearly showed that there should have been an existing path crossing diagonally and
walking half a mile through fields of wheat and barley - trying not to break any stems is difficult. You end up walking like a performing horse and ...knackered.
Eventually, for the last 2 miles into Bridgwater, I gave up crossing fields and walked on the pavement of the A39.
Bridgwater was in traffic log jamb when I arrived. There'd been an accident on the M5 and drivers were trying to find any rat run they could.
Not my idea of fun and a startling contrast to the wonderful start of the day.
Total distance so far = 251.9 miles
Total ascent so far = 37 075 feet
If you're interested you can also follow my track on Strava.
If you're tempted to contribute to any or all of the great charities I'm supporting, here are the relevant links.
Parkinsons UK - My dad had Parkinsons in his latter years and the research work this charity funds and the support it provides to patients and their families is invaluable. - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/david-thomas215
Just Wheels UK - this is a small charity set up to provide wheelchairs in a rural community in Tanzania. It does this through funding training, education and the local fabrication and servicing of bespoke wheelchairs. My nephew uses a wheelchair and as he grows I can see the life changing freedoms that proper wheelchairs can bring to both users and their families.-
https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/campaign/a056900002H35TDAAZ
- RNLI - these are the brave guys who selflessly head out to sea to help others. I volunteer at Littlehampton RNLI shop and often meet families of those who’ve had first hand experience of their loved ones being saved from the sea. Having sailed for years I can say thankfully we’ve never had to call on the RNLI's services but it’s amazing what it does to know they are there
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/david-thomas216
Fantastic blog David. Makes you appreciate how stunning this nation is and how diverse and friendly the inhabitants are. Well done, looking forward to the next instalment. See you back at LA! Malcolm S.
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