Simonsbath to Luxborough

11 May 2010 - Simonsbath to Luxborough

Distance - 17.1 miles

Weather - Dry, but cold

We stayed at - Royal Oak Inn, Luxborough, Nr Dunster, Somerset TA23 0SH Cost - £90.00

We were sorry to leave the Simonsbath House Hotel. They had upgraded our room, the bar prices were very reasonable, the food good and the picnic we took with us, well worth the £6.50 it cost.

It had rained the night before and was still very cold. We walked up the hill, passing the entrance to the car park where we emerged yesterday. We continued straight up the hill today though, to Cloven Rocks and turned into fields. The farmer was carrying out some major drainage excavations, which we had to skirt around. The footpath then led to a sharp escarpment. There didn't look to be a path down, so we just improvised! We found a path right at the bottom, etched into rock, which was very slippery after the rain.

The way forward led up to Warren Farm and the moors. At Alderman's Barrow we turned onto Almsworthy Common. This was a fairly straightforward path, until it met a road, then all traces of the path disappeared! We had to walk over tussocky grass and heather until we met up with another footpath. We followed the McMillan Way, leaving it only to climb up Dunkery Beacon. This was truly the highlight of the day, with magnificent views to Porlock and Wales. The walk down from the beacon was really lovely, with more splendid views, although Alistair did put himself at risk by going over to read a sign, which he discovered said "Danger, Cliffs"!

There was a beautiful stretch of the route, albeit steep, leading up to Raleigh Manor and into Wheddon Cross, where we managed to get a pint and a Dairy Milk before the pub shut. At 300 metres, Wheddon Cross is the highest village in Exmoor. We were lucky with our timing, as the publican had been chatting to a friend in the bar anyway and was happy to serve us. He locked up just after we left. Further up the road we ran into a big gaggle of hikers, walking very quickly and with determination. Alistair & I thought we would let them find out themselves that the pub was closed!

We debated which route we should take to the parish of Luxborough, which is comprised of two villages, Churchtown, which has the church and Kingsbridge, which has the pub. We opted to go via Pittleigh, White Moor and Lype Hill. I had thought this would be a huge climb, but it was fine. I say that, because at 432 metres Lype Hill is the highest point in the Bredon Hills. The path though just climbed steadily, running through lots of green fields full of sheep and lambs. We descended off the hill through Newcombe Farm and then took a footpath by the side of the water to Kingsbridge. A final footpath brought us out to the Royal Oak, our accommodation for the night. This was a really lovely pub and the food was excellent. I thoroughly recommend the asparagus with duck egg & Parmesan starter - yum!