The first part of this account of our few days in Somerset ended where we’d just walked around the picturesque village of Dunster. Now picking up again to continue the second part of this Blog …we left Dunster after walking back to the castle to pick up the car and drove over to Porlock Weir.
It’s a scenic drive as you get nearer to the little port. Narrow winding roads made all the more interesting as that day they were trimming the hedges. Not much room for cars coming the other way and no chance of overtaking. At least there’s a large car park when you get there and because of the lovely weather, the place was buzzing, or maybe it is most times. I was hoping the tide would be in but you can’t have everything.
The wooden, re-inforced harbour gates are very impressive and were built to keep the inner harbour free of stones. We walked over the harbour bridge across to the comically named, ‘Turkey Island’ where in front of you is the cute, thatched ‘Quay Cottage’. Most definitely worth a picture.
It was great just wandering round and of course we walked along the beach for little way too. Loved the old wooden breakwaters known as groynes. It had been a while since our tea and cake in Dunster and with The Bottom Ship looking splendid in the sunshine we felt it was time for a pint. And very pleasant it was too! The good news is that the pub will be re-opening on Monday April 12th for outdoor seating only but table service for food and drink – I’m getting excited just typing this!
Feeling refreshed we drove over to Watchet and had a wander round. Oh dear! I didn’t take any pictures of the harbour as I remember it being full of small ships and having lots of character. Sadly it was converted in 2000 to a modern marina and well …it was disappointing. The town was very quiet with a few shops open and dare I say -it just felt sad. Perhaps we didn’t see it at its best …
Time for another picture.
A couple of guys in the pub where we were staying in Crowcombe had said that we must go over to the hamlet of Lilstock to see the little church of St Andrews. “Its off the beaten track,” they said, and they weren’t kidding. As you can see we did find this ancient church which was declared redundant in 1980 and threatened with demolition. The Rector in the Benefice personally paid for the repairs and restoration which was completed in 1993. The chancel is all that remains but this does include a 14th century arch just inside the present doorway.
As most of my friends know, I enjoy taking picture of churches both inside and out and love a good graveyard. The graves were well spaced out and most of them very old. One notable grave there is that of Sarah Perrett who was lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria.
The other reason for driving over to this side of the Quantocks was just down the road from Lilstock is a beach, not at all touristy which has a treasure trove of fossils. Reading about the beach doesn’t entice you to go; it’s waters are murky and polluted apparently and the only sand is beyond an expanse of rock. There’s a certain irony about a beach with lots of fossilised remains that is within sight of a power station, Hinkley Point. Not surprisingly there was just the two of us down there that afternoon and yes we did bring one small rock home.
For our last night, as requested, the chef cooked me an excellent curry. They really did look after us at The Carew Arms. Unfortunately the pub and hotel is not open at preset due to the Lockdown restrictions but we do wish them well and hope they will be able to open up soon. Such difficult times for the hospitality business and others too.
And so it was our last morning, but before heading back home there was just a couple more things we wanted to do …the first to walk up to Cothelstone Hill. It’s said to be the best vantage point in Somerset where you get a 360 degree view over the Blackdown Hills and when its clear to the Bredon Hills and Exmoor National Park. There are two earthworks at the top which might be bronze age burial mounds and also a clump of beech trees known as ‘The Seven Sisters’
As you can see from the picture it was a wonderful day to see the spectacular views …all we wanted now was to spot the ponies and it wasn’t long before we did.
Originally a group of Exmoor ponies wandered over to The Quantocks and decided to stay. They are wild but obviously used to walkers because even though they knew we were there, they didn’t show any sign of moving on. While I was (excitedly) taking pictures a land rover drew up with a couple of wardens just checking that the ponies were ok.
What a magnificent, photogenic lot! I just loved taking these pictures.
All too soon the herd moved on so we continued our walk across the heathland and then through the woods following the escarpment and back round to the car.
There was one last place we wanted to visit before heading home and that was Fyne Court, owned by the National Trust. We weren’t sure if the cafe and loos would be open, but they were. We couldn’t resist buying a hot drink and a (huge) piece of cake. We’d deserved it after our walk.
There isn’t a house there but the walks are interesting especially as some of the features give a few clues as to what the garden would have been like. The walled garden is now a haven for wild flowers and bees whereas originally the owners would have employed gardeners to grow fruit and vegetables. The Boat House is now a ruin but the Folly is being restored – we were there to enjoy the stunning autumn colours and we certainly weren’t disappointed.
It’s interesting that Fyne Court is quite understated with few attractions as such except for the woods and walking trails. I’m sure they are worth a visit at any time of year but I think we chose the best season.
Wandering along, just the two us was a great way to round off our ‘mini-break in The Quantocks. We’d packed quite a lot in and both us said we would come back another time. It’s an interesting part of the country and there’s lots more walks we would like to do. Maybe this Blog and the previous has inspired you to visit this area too?
Travels with the Booths.blog 