Winscombe & the East Well
A short, level walk along a former railway line and green lanes to a historic spring and village church.
Description
(S/E) From the front door of the Woodborough Inn, cross the road and walk down Woodborough Road between the Co-op on the left and Farrons Estate Agents on the right.
Just before the bridge, turn right past the public toilets onto the Strawberry Trail; turn left.
Cross the bridge and follow the trail for a quarter of a mile. Pass under a road bridge (The Lynch). Continue along the Trail, passing the Recreation Ground on your left.
(1) A quarter-mile beyond the recreation ground, a track (Fullers Lane) crosses the Strawberry Line between two barriers; turn right off the trail here.
Turn immediately left along another hedged track, Yadley Lane. After a short distance, turn right at a junction of paths, continuing along the main track (now Eastwell Lane). After a little under half a mile, pass the vigorous East Well spring in a ferny dell on your right, bearing left and shortly afterwards passing the entrance of a house called Coombe Valley, to emerge among the buildings of the old part of Winscombe village.
(2) Turn left along the road up the hill. Turn right along Church Lane, signposted to the Parish Church of St James. After visiting the church, follow Church Lane downhill to a road junction in the middle of the village.
Follow a concrete track through a farm-yard opposite, passing between farm buildings and then following a line of poplar trees.
(3) In the corner of the field cross a foot-bridge over a stream. Cross the next field to a ford over a stream in the hedge on your left (bypassable via a footbridge at the far end). Turn left (north) parallel to the left-hand edge of the field to a stile and kissing gate.
Cross the next field (ignoring a gate opposite) and follow the right-hand hedge to a slab stile in the corner, continuing in the same direction with young trees on your right. After another slab stile a narrow path leads over a small stream and between gardens out to the road.
(4) Turn right and walk along the road (The Lynch) for 300 yards, looking out for a footpath sign on a telegraph pole indicating a path on the left between two houses. Beyond the houses, cross a field to a slab stile and kissing gate leading into an open space newly planted with trees. At the end of this area, turn right up steps onto the Strawberry Line.
(5) Turn left over the bridge, then turn right off the trail past the toilets. Turn left back to the Woodborough Inn. (S/E)
Waypoints
- S/E : km 0 - alt. 41 m - Woodborough Inn
- 1 : km 1.19 - alt. 49 m - Bridge - Winscombe village
- 2 : km 2.42 - alt. 59 m - Parish Church of St James
- 3 : km 3.01 - alt. 35 m - Stream
- 4 : km 3.48 - alt. 39 m - Telegraph pole
- 5 : km 3.97 - alt. 38 m - Bridge
- S/E : km 4.24 - alt. 41 m - Woodborough Inn
Useful Information
Mostly level. Muddy after rain; Eastwell Lane floods in very wet weather.
Pdf link : http://walksfromthedoor.co.uk/i/walks/So...
The Woodborough Inn
2 Sandford Rd, Winscombe,
Somerset BS25 1HD
Tel 01934 844167
Email bookings@woodborough-inn.co.uk
Website www.woodborough-inn.co.uk
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
During the walk or to do/see around
Shute Shelve Tunnel is brick-lined at its northern end (pictured) where it passes through soft marl, but the bare walls of hard limestone at the southern end are lined with flowstone.
Sidcot School (right) is one of the few independent Quaker schools in the country, and has its own Friends’ Meeting House.
The village of Compton Bishop is dominated by the tower of St Andrew's Church, a Grade I listed building. The churchyards contains a medieval cross and inside the building is a finely carved stone pulpit described by one antiquarian as “one of the best in Somerset”.
The spectacular 360° view from Crook Peak is dominated by the M5 heading towards the obvious eminence of Brent Knoll, with the Parrett Estuary backed by the Quantocks and Exmoor beyond. To the west the island of Steepholm lurks beyond the ridge of Brean Down; to the north are Avonmouth and the outskirts of Bristol; looking east over Cheddar Reservoir is a glimpse of the Gorge; and to the south are the Somerset Levels, with Glastonbury Tor prominent in the south-east.
Dolebury Warren is a well-preserved Iron Age hillfort with steep slopes and wide views on all sides. It was used as a rabbit warren during the Middle Ages, hence the name, and the ruins of the warrener’s house are still visible.
Cheddar Gorge was formed by meltwater unable to enter the underlying caves during periods when they were blocked by permafrost. Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, dating from around 7000BC, was found in Gough’s Cave.
Axbridge, though nowadays smaller than neighbouring Cheddar, is historically the more important settlement and was granted a Royal Charter in 1202 by King John.
