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MENDIP TIMES
A wander around the Isle of Wedmore
THIS summer circle explores the beautiful Isle of Wedmore and also the Somerset Levels and Moors. This is the best time for walking across the moors – the land of the Summer people – and it is a glorious patchwork of green, white and yellow – green fields, cow parsley, hogweed, daisies, tall buttercups and bright fringes of irises along the rhynes. Enjoy big skies and fine views. There are swans and herons
to be seen and many other birds, possibly even an otter, so take your binoculars. Walking is along droves between the rhynes, along tracks and field footpaths and there are several stiles. Most of the time you are on the flat. In high summer some of the paths can get slightly overgrown so shorts may not be ideal and it would be handy to have a stick to cut down vegetation on a couple of paths. There is no refreshment en-route. PARK: At the huge car park at Wedmore Recreation and Sports Ground out of Wedmore on the Blackford Road. Postcode of car park, BS28 4BS. Park near the far end by the children’s play area.
With Sue Gearing PAGE 42 • MENDIP TIMES • JULY 2021
START: Go out the main entrance and straight over along the short side road. Turn left at the junction and soon, opposite the main door of the farmhouse on the left, go right up steps in the hedge on the signed public footpath. This can get quite obscured by vegetation. The path technically goes diagonally left across the field, to the top left corner, but usage has it that you go along the bottom edge and then round the corner and up the other side. Go ahead across the next field parallel with the right hedge and bear away slightly to go through an opening in the far side. Then go up the field and aim for just short of the far right corner by a house.
1. SAND Go down steps and over a stile in the hedge and onto the lane in the hamlet of Sand. Turn right and shortly just past the stone entrance pillars, turn left along a track – Sand Hill. This is a beautiful section of about 0.7 miles taking you along and then down onto the Somerset Levels with wide vistas and a very different landscape to that of the Isle of Wedmore. The track becomes rougher. Reach a hard track. Go on a few metres and turn right on the track across the moors.
2. DROVE The moors are known for their rare moorland plant species, wintering birds, water fowl. Also, otters have been monitored here for many years. This is Allermoor Drove which heads across Aller Moor between rhynes adorned with yellow flags and with good views up right to the Isle of Wedmore ridge. This very peaceful area where cattle graze and heron fly hides a tumultuous happening in the past when in January 1607 a tsunami from the Irish Sea crashed across the Levels as far as Glastonbury, destroying lives and homes. After just over half a mile reach a crossing lane, Jack’s Drove, and continue on as before. 3. TEALHAM MOOR This is a stretch of about a mile across
