Luxborough to Crowcombe

12 May 2010 - Luxborough to Crowcombe

Distance - 14.1 miles

Weather - Hot and sunny

We stayed at - The Carew Arms, Crowcombe, Somerset, TA4 4AD Cost - £100 (DB&B)

The first part of the walk to Crowcombe was along a really pretty little country lane all the way to Roadwater. The lane ran by a stream and was flanked with forest and we appreciated the cool it provided on this hot and sunny day. We could have followed the Samaritans Way South West from Luxbrough to Monksilver, but it looked a long way for a short cut. The idea of buying the details of a walk from a charity, with the proceeds going to that charity did appeal to me though. Once you have the route, presumably you can then get sponsorship for walking it, raising more money. There were a few such paths around this part of the country.

After Roadwater, where The Valiant Soldier came a bit too early in the day to stop off for a pint, we took to footpaths. At one stage, we were walking through a field of cows when we heard what sounded like a motorbike. It turned out to be a bloke on a quad bike and another in a pick-up herding the cows up the hill into another field. We were a bit concerned we might be trampled by a spooked cow, so took to the edge of the field. The procedure seemed quite successful, if a bit noisy, and we were soon left in an empty pasture, with a distant view of the Severn estuary.

Monksilver wasn't particularly pretty and we were dismayed to find that the only pub there was for sale! The countryside around Vellow was really nice and just before Vellow Wood Farm we saw a fox out in broad daylight. The owners of the farm had put up a sign requesting walkers to use a detour, rather than the footpath that passed right in front of their house. We did use the alternative route, but I sort of hated myself for doing so - on the premise they must have known there was a footpath there when they bought the house. 

We marched on through fields, occasionally hearing the mournful whistle of a steam engine belonging to the West Somerset Railway, a preserved steam railway running between Minehead and Taunton. I love steam trains and was half hoping I'd see one, but obviously thought it unlikely we would get the timing right. You can imagine how delighted I was when, right at the moment our route crossed the railway line, a steam train came thundering past!

Once past the railway line, we made our way into Bicknoller, a really pretty little village, with a beautiful stone church (apparently dating from the 15th century). From there, we climbed up Bicknoller Hill and up onto the ridge of the Quantocks. There were glorious views from up here, over to Bridgwater Bay. We also saw quite a few horses, some with foals, and lots of lambs playing king of the castle on rocks.

Although the day had started out bright and sunny, storm clouds began to gather as we made our way along the ridge to Crowcombe, but we arrived before any rain fell. The village was really attractive, but to reach it, we had to leave our route and descend a mile long 1:4 hill, which really hurt the knees, we also knew that the first mile of tomorrow's walk was going to be equally tough! We had a really nice stay at the Carew Arms - an old and characterful pub with a big skittle alley out the back. Our stay also coincided with the local quiz and curry night and we were asked whether we would like to enter the quiz. So after having a delicious homemade curry in the flagstone bar, Alistair & I made our way to the other bar and just managed to find the last remaining table. The place was packed and it looked serious! Despite having only two people in our team, as opposed to the six or eight members all the others had, we still managed a respectable third place and got a special commendation!