Walking Sue Gearing

On track for the hill fort

THISis an interesting circle in midMendip taking in a huge old viaduct and railway tunnels hidden in a deep wooded valley and an Iron Age hill fort. It is a not too strenuous walk from Rocky Mountain Garden Centre, Masbury, going south, picking up the East Mendip Way and then detouring to the magnificent viaduct and tunnels in Ham Woods. After that it is across open fields, on a quiet lane, a track and past a golf club before heading across and up. Thus we end on a high with a panorama from Maesbury Castle hill fort. Walking is on lanes, tracks and across fields. There is a longish steady ascent and then a gentle downhill before a fairly easy uphill to the hillfort. In high summer some tracks may be overgrown so take a stick. There are a number of stiles, including several solid well-used stone stiles. The garden centre welcomes Mendip Times readers to park there and it is a great place to have refreshment and to browse their 12 acres of nursery. There is nowhere else for refreshment on this circle.

START: Turn right from the garden centre and after a 2-3 minutes take the first lane right signed to Croscombe and Dinder. Follow this quiet route for just over half a mile. En-route go across the line of the old Somerset and Dorset Railway – the green embankment on the left gives you a clue!

It was a much-loved line known as the "Slow and Dirty" and ran down to Burnham-on-Sea – a journey well remembered by locals as it took them right down to the seaside, a new destination for many. The line ran to Masbury, the highest point. The station, now a private home, is next door to the garden centre and opened in July 1874.

Ignore a lane right and then take the next stony track on the right after 2-3 minutes. If you reach Upper Thrupe Farm you have gone too far.

1. TRACK

This old thoroughfare bends left by a renovated barn and continues south between hedges. As it drops, start to get good views south across country. After about 20 minutes, look for a crossing footpath and go left over the stone slab stile – the first of several.

2. EAST MENDIP WAY

You have now joined the East Mendip Way. In the field, head for the far left corner and exit through a kissing gate by a large gate. Go down to the lane. Turn left going uphill for a few minutes and look out for a stone slab stile right and an East Mendip Way sign. Bear left across the field, over a stone stile, and head on in the same direction towards the dramatic line of trees which is the top edge of Ham Woods. After a wooden stile, continue alongside the woods.

The beautiful Ham Woods occupy a very steep valley created by glacial action and have been the scene of quarrying over the years.

Go through a kissing gate and carry on. Go through another kissing gate and in this field you leave the East Mendip Way, which goes centrally across the field, whereas we are on a lesser walked path which aims for an opening in the top left corner. Maintain direction, going up, passing a lone dead ash tree and reach the hedge-line on the left and follow this on. At the end, go over the stile by a large gate and come on to the old railway line.

3. VIADUCT AND TUNNELS

Our route goes straight across over the stile opposite, but stop awhile and enjoy an interesting detour – or two! Turn right a few yards and come onto the remarkable viaduct which carried the Somerset and Dorset railway across the immensely deep valley in Ham Woods. Look over the edge to see how high you are! It is also worth carrying on along this old line for another 7-8 minutes and reach one of a pair of tunnels that carried the line under Windsor Hill. This is the old down tunnel. About 60 yards before the tunnel if you want see the other tunnel, take a very short path that bears up left and at the top, take care, and

you can look down to the right and see the up tunnel.

The tunnels were closed to traffic in March 1966. The line was ripped up pretty much overnight as it had huge sentimental value and British Rail maybe feared an attempt to keep the line running. There is a particularly moving video about the S&D, "All Change at Evercreech Junction". Even just before the line closed, some houses along the way still didn't have running water and the only water they had was delivered weekly by the train.

Soon after it was closed, the down tunnel (239 yards long) was used by Rolls Royce to test the engines for Concorde. No evidence of this remains now. The tunnels are owned by Highways England and they were closed by the Dept of Transport because of the bat population. However, a group – the Friends of Windsor Hill Tunnels – is campaigning to redevelop a network of paths along this rail line and through the tunnels. The group plans to submit a public right of way claim for the tunnels, based on historic usage – and they want people to send in their memories of walking through the tunnels and across the viaduct. But the group insists it “completely support the preservation of all wildlife” and believes “bats and humans can co-exist in the right habitat”.

Return along the old line and across the viaduct to where you came in. Go across and over the stile and down the right edge of the long grass in the field downhill. Enter woodland, cross a stile and go over a footbridge. Head straight up across the next field. At the top, aim for a gap in trees ahead and you can see a large gate. Go through the kissing gate at the side and head on down this long field. Soon you can see Windsor Hill Farm ahead.

4. FARM

Go through a kissing gate and down the grassy swathe to the farm complex below. This is an active community, sharing skills and caring for the land and woodland. Go left up the lane. At the next junction, turn left and follow this quiet route passing beautiful Windsor Hill House and other homes in this complex and begin to ascend gently. Eventually go round the corner right and shortly, at a T-junction, turn left up the Old Bristol Road now a dirt track.

5. OLD BRISTOL ROAD

This is a steady climb of about 20 minutes which levels out at the top by a communications tower at the crossing main road. There are beautiful views south unfolding behind you.

6. GOLF CLUB

Go straight over onto the lane that leads past Mendip Golf Club. Follow this on and downhill for about half a mile, going past the golf club building and ignoring a lane right. You are now getting views across country to the north.

7. PATH

At the foot, at the right bend, turn left and take the path/track which at first is rather overgrown. Follow this under trees all the way to a stile into the first of four fields. Follow the bottom of these, going over stiles. At the end of the fourth field is a stone slab stile. Ignore this. Stay in the field and turn left up the hedge. Very soon cross a small stream and immediately turn left following the stream gently uphill. Go through a gate and now continue uphill towards the hillfort, keeping left of the hedge, through fields until you go through two kissing gates and come into the fort area. It is not a strenuous ascent.

6.17 miles, or 6.87 miles, if you detour to the old tunnel in the woods. About 3-4 hours walking. OS Explorer 141, Shepton Mallet & Mendip Hills East, grid ref: 603 472, postcode for Rocky Mountain Garden Centre, BA5 3HA

8. MAESBURY CASTLE HILL FORT

Maesbury Castle is an Iron Age hill fort occupying an area of over six acres, 950ft high, with views in many directions. The name is derived from maes, meaning field or plain in Brythonic Welsh, and burh, meaning fort in Old English. It was on the boundary between the Romano-British Celts and West Saxons during the period 577-652 AD, when the nearby Wansdyke fortification comprised part of the border. It could have been a settlement of high status, occupied on a permanent basis and enclosing the summit of a round hilltop, on the southern side of the Mendip Hills, with defences.

Go ahead and up onto the steep encircling bank. You are aiming for the far side – just to the right-hand end of a wood. So either go round the embankment enjoying good views or head straight across the centre. On the far side find a small, short and steep path leading off the bank. Take care down here. Then go ahead a few yards and turn right to a marked stile. Once over follow the arrow down the field and you will soon see a large gate below. Next to this is a stone slab stile which you cross onto the road.

Turn right and return to Rocky Mountain Garden Centre.