Changing scenery on this reservoir walk

WONDERFULviews are the highlight of this peaceful, rural circle from Hinton Blewett. But that’s not all – add in two adjoining lakes, a small common and an ancient trackway and you have the ingredients for a great walk to put Spring into your step. We walk through and around the village taking in one of the greatest viewpoints in the area and then drop downhill to the reservoir. The second half of the walk includes a gentle climb, flat walking through fields and then a steeper climb for a while on the way back to the village where a great village pub awaits. There are no stiles. After rain there is likely to be mud particularly in one or two parts on Hollow Marsh Lane. There are glorious trees to see and wild flowers as you go.

PARK: In Hinton Blewett, a village up high above the Chew Valley. Find a parking layby opposite the Ring O’ Bells and by the small green, the Barbary.

START: Go up across towards the Ring O’ Bells, passing an information board about the Barbary. Turn left (facing the pub) and follow the lane as it bends round and passes the entrance to the village church. All Saints is a lovely little building well worth a visit. I liked the verse about bells near the font. Then continue along the lane, past houses. At one of the gates is a glass-fronted box with books which are offered to you, free – a nice touch. Bend right on the lane.

1. FARM

At a farm and a left bend, go right on the track by the farm – a bit muddy at the start. Then follow it left. Further on, just before it starts to rise, it turns left again. Stay on the track. It drops down to a wet and stony area, so negotiate it with care. The track leads out to a lane and the wonderful viewpoint Prospect Stile.

2. PROSPECT STILE

There’s a seat here and an information board. From where your track met the lane at Prospect Stile, turn left on the lane. Ignore a left turn and keep on. Don’t turn right. Just continue down Coley Hill, bending left in the Hinton Blewett direction and then take the next right turn, Hook Lane.

3. HOOK LANE

Along here, pass the entrance to the playing field and just after this take the marked footpath (the Butcombe Trail) through a kissing gate (KG).

4. COLEY HILL

Head diagonally left across the top of Coley Hill towards a line of trees. Go through past the remains of an old stile and maintain direction across the next. Go through a KG in the far hedgeline. Follow the fence straight on, getting some great views south across to Mendip. Keep on, leaving the fence, and continuing across to another KG. Once again, maintain your direction and as you carry on, start to get a glimpse of Litton Lake (Litton lower reservoir) below. Don’t stay up left in this field but go a little more in the middle and pass to the right of a large oak, going down the field’s full length. After going through a gap cut across to yet another KG. Now, change direction and drop down right towards the right-hand end of the reservoir where a KG takes you over into the lake area.

5. RESERVOIR

Turn left on the Tarmac drive along the edge of the lower lake.

This lake and the one above were built by Bristol Water Works to supply ‘compensatory’ water to the Chew Valley when the powerful head springs at Chewton Mendip were harnessed to supply the City of Bristol in the 1850s. This was considerably earlier than Blagdon Lake that was created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. More recently they have been used to rear fish. Keep your eyes open for the “unauthorised” fishermen in the form of cormorants that sit in prominent positions on the lake hoping for a meal! You may also spot other water birds such as swans, herons, mallards and tufted ducks.

Continue along and then go uphill towards the Upper Reservoir and reach another dam. The drive ends here at the house and you go straight on along a path between the house and lake. Follow this all the way along the reservoir edge. Near the end on the left reach a very difficult stile to cross. If you can manage it, go up across to a KG. Or, a little longer but much easier, go out of the reservoir and immediately turn left through a KG on a path going up and back across the field parallel with where you were. This leads up to the same KG as on the harder shorter section. Go through the KG, across a small, long field to another KG. Go straight over a drive and through onto Shortwood Common – a rather special Open Access area.

6. COMMON

Ignore the footpath going up left but instead bear diagonally up and across heading towards the wall of the house set above the common. Cross a small common road and then go ahead parallel with the house wall, still on this very peaceful common. Go through a gate, leaving the common and maintain direction.

Reach a gate, drop down steps, cross a lane and up steps on the other side. Head across with the valley down below. Go to the left of the power pole and across, then through a metal gate and follow the arrow going diagonally down across.

We continue through this very tranquil rural area with beautiful solitary trees, no roads, and very few signs of habitation –what a treat.

Go into the next field, staying up parallel with the top edge. A KG takes you into the fourth field to head down the full length of the field to the far corner where you get access onto an old track – Hollow Marsh Lane.

8.

Follow this hedged track to the left and later turn left on a narrower path for a total of 0.7 miles. (There may be a muddy area which has been bypassed by a path up on the right bank.) Eventually come out onto a lane.

9.

Turn right and follow the lane along, past the village hall and up to the green in Hinton Blewett.