Home to Kilve in England

Thursday 23 August 2018 

Tonight at 9pm (how civilised) we take off to Heathrow, London via Dubai for a total of 7 weeks. The first five are in England with the remaining two in Poland and the Czech Republic on a walking tour with Walkabout Gourmet Adventures.

In England we are staying in cottages for a week at a time and staying in areas we haven't been to before. We arrive home on 15 October 2018 from Vienna where we are staying three nights after the walking tour.

Our first week is on an isolated farm near Kilve a small village in the Quantock Hills, Somerset, in an area of natural beauty (ANOB) which will have more beauty once we arrive in the isolated area of western England near Bridgwater.

Packed and ready to go

Our airport transfer picked us up just before 5:30pm and dropped us off at Brisbane International Airport where the Emirates check in went smoothly. Up to the Emirates Lounge we went to wait for our flight. Pre-dinner dinner with pre-dinner dinner drinks were enjoyed by both of us. 

Like to have more of these

30 minutes before boarding we were both called to the check-in counter where we were requested to hand over our boarding passes to have them exchanged for two 1st Class boarding passes for our flight to Dubai! OMG we could not believe our luck and have no idea why we were chosen to be upgraded. We have never flown 1st Class ever and were so excited to have the wonderful experience offered. I nearly flattened my phone battery before takeoff sending photos to everyone.

A special insider's view of my 1st Class cabin space

For 14 hours we were pampered. We were issued with our own pyjamas, slippers, toiletry bags (Julie received two), the food was a la carte and on demand, the champagne was Dom Perignon, the whiskey I had was Dalmore King Alexander III (at $300 a bottle). When I ordered my whiskey I was asked if I wanted 1, 2 or 3 nips. I didn't want to answer truthfully as I might have sounded like a raving alcoholic so I said two nips on the rocks. The hostess gave me a tumbler literally half full of the $300 a bottle stuff and said with a smile on her face "Two nips ... Australian nips".  

The 1st class bus in Dubai

Our luxury leather seats turned into soft, flat wide beds with the staff adding a mattress overlay. Every time I came back from the bathroom my bed was remade and the cabin tidied up. We could close the doors to our cabin for full privacy which was useful to stop the plebs from the back of the plane trying to get our autographs. On arrival in Dubai us 1st Class passengers were escorted off first and separately of course and onto our own 1st Class bus (yes a special 1st Class bus) with luxury leather single lounge seats and TV's. We were dropped off at the terminal before everyone else to join the 40000 other people in the airport - we soon had our bubbles burst. What an experience though.

Welcome to England downpour

After a couple of hours in Dubai we boarded at 5am when the morning temperature was a balmy 34 degrees celsius outside. The 7 hour flight to London on the wonderful A380 was uneventful. At 1:30pm we had picked up our hire car and were off for the 3 hour drive west to Kilve near Bridgwater. At 1:35pm literally everyone in England got into their cars too and joined us on the M4 heading west with us. The 3 hour drive was 5 hours with the special long weekend once in a lifetime special rain storm just to help everyone enjoy their time while crawling along the jammed motorway.

We stopped in Bridgwater to do a shop and arrived at Hilltop Barn accommodation at 6:40pm.

Sunrise at Hilltop Barn looking out of our window

Lounge

Julie looking for the Thermomix

Hilltop Barn

We set up for the week before sitting in the lounge waiting for a tumbler filled with two Australian nips of Dalmore King Alexander III which, by the way, never arrived. Heavy showers finally cleared just on sunset revealing the spectacular views we have to the coast over farmland.

Up the next morning where we were greeted by blue skies and cool weather. The morning was spent sorting things out some more and planning for the week ahead. After morning tea we did a beautiful coastal walk along the Quantock Coastline where, within 200 metres we went through a 14th century church, walked past a picturesque duck pond with a thatched roof house reflected in it and on to meet Julie's nemesis - a paddock full of cows!

Start of walk

Local duck pond

14th century St Mary's Church

Cows!!!!!

Surviving the cows and their numerous landmines randomly laid across the paddock we came to the cliffs overlooking the Bristol Channel.

Contained in the cliffs are stacks of fossils from 200 million years ago. There were lots of people out walking their dogs and families on the beach getting their grandparents mixed up with the other fossils they had collected. 

Lime Kiln

The walk was great and we were in our element wandering the fields and pathways of England again. 

Oil Retort House (Shale oil refiner)

St Mary's lychgate

Our path towards a beautiful thatched house

The icing on the cake was stopping off at the local Hood Arms pub for a Guinness for me, a wine for Julie and a nice English pub lunch with hand cut chips for both of us. It was great to get a walk under our belts that had been stretched over the last two days whilst travelling from Australia.

Guinness gives me big hands for some reason

And so ends day one of our trip.

Sunday 26 August:

The forecast for today was rain and that's what we got. It bucketed down from around 9am until 5pm, so we went for a drive to have a look at how heavy it was throughout the region of Somerset. With only a slim hope of a walk, our hiking gear was donned and our (well my) backpack was filled and off we headed to Nunney, 1.5 hours away, and Nunney Castle with its walk around the village and into the hills behind. The rain was heavy and it got heavier as the day progressed. The roads became partly flooded and visibility was limited. 

Nunney is a pretty little village straight out of the 14th century. The castle was built by a knight in the 1370's and is the classic design with metres thick walls, arrow shooting holes in the walls, the kitchen on the ground floor, the great hall in the middle and bedrooms up the top all protected by a moat and drawbridge.

Nunney Castle

The castle entrance with its thick stone walls

It is open every day and is free to visit. In Nunney we parked in the pouring rain and walked to a nice tearoom that served fresh cakes and hot coffee. From the tearoom the castle was just 100 metres away so, still in the pouring rain, we walked in and around the picturesque grounds while ducks swam in the moat.

Inside Nunney Castle

Nunney Castle moat and its famous ducks that wander the village streets.

All Saints Church, Nunney

Over the babbling stream from the castle lies the 11 century All Saints Church. Still in the pouring rain we explored this wonderful old building where, buried inside, is the builder and owner of Nunney Castle, Sir John de la Mare. The whole village of Nunney is just so classical medieval with its clear flowing stream, old stone buildings and houses winding down a narrow street to the castle and church. So easily could the village be transformed back in time 800 years to its heyday.

The crypts of Sir John de la Mare and other lords

The rain coming down in Nunney

As the rain got even heavier, we left Nunney and did a shop in Bridgwater before having a late lunch in a Farm Shop cafe/restaurant near Nether Stowey. After our fill we headed home to watch the rain slowly ease during the afternoon.  

Monday 27 August - it's a Bank Holiday long weekend today so a lot of our planning for today's activities took this fact into account. We were up and away at 7am and arrived at the start of our first walk in Brean, an hour away. Brean is where anyone who owns a caravan or tent and wants to go to the "beach" goes to so they can watch the rain come down and the wind blow a gale instead of being warm and comfortable at home.

Brean seaside camping - this only shows a small proportion of the many van parks in the vicinity

Brean Down is a narrow peninsula poking out into the Bristol Channel which has been inhabited since before AD 340. The peninsula has stacks of ancient archaeology with spectacular modern day views. After discovering the English had changed the shape of their 1 pound coins since last we were here and therefore our round 2 year old ones wouldn't work in the Pay and Display ticketing machine we were helped by a friendly walker who swapped us some new ones. With parking all sorted for the next three hours we started up the steep climb onto Brean Down. At the top we were afforded spectacular views of the bay, the muddy windswept beach and the muddy waters of the Bristol Channel across to south Wales - no wonder there were so many holiday makers here, who could resist.

Start of Brean Down walk

The walk took us through the remains of a Celtic field system where crops and animals we once tendered over 1600 years ago.

Cows! 

Celtic field system

At the end of the peninsular is a Victorian era fort converted during WWII but for the same reason - to defend England. We wandered around the headland for a while before retracing our steps back to the car.

Pilates on the Down 

The local Cafe was yet to open so they missed out on our custom.

Following a double decker bus along the windy narrow roads out of Brean

Off we headed towards our next walk starting in Shipham, about an hour away. By this time the cravings for food and coffee were strong however no one in England operates a coffee shop and cafe. We went all the way to Shipham without sighting a single coffee shop! Fortunately Shipham has one so we parked our car in the centre of the village and walked over to get some coffee and morning tea to discover it too was yet to open!

The Shipham Book Exchange

With nothing else to do we set off on our second walk for the day through Dolebury Warren.

Through the backblocks of Shipham we walked, up the hill, along a bridle path and into Rowberrow Warren. It was in this Warren that the walk became really pretty. Along the overhanging tree lined path we walked coming to a babbling steam that kept us company for ages to soon pass by a few houses in the woods located near a ancient lime kiln - we were in our element. Following the map and walk instructions we turned left and right here and there, took the second path to a T intersection to turn uphill through a gate after 32 metres only to find there was no gate and several paths going in all directions. We were lost and not for the first time in the UK. 

Returning to the car on the wrong track

Using my favourite get-out-of-being-lost-while-hiking-anywhere-in-the-world  App, Pocket Earth, we eventually were able to backtrack and find our way home. We missed the 3000 yo Dolebury Warren and the ancient fort but who cares, the coffee shop was open in Shipham.  We spent 2 hours 45 minutes doing the 2 hours 30 minutes walk only to miss half of it!

We beat a couple of old ladies to the door of the cafe and sat down at the best of only three tables in the now church run renovated village butcher shop. The old ladies ended up being the same age as us and were good fun to talk to, as was the volunteer who served us a late lunch and a much needed coffee. After about an hour we said goodbye to our new friends and headed home.

Shipham Cafe

Traffic in front of our place

The traffic again was heavy, being the end of the long weekend but we soon pulled up in front of Hilltop Barn and dragged our weary legs inside. Another great day in England.

Next Day: We were pretty weary from yesterday's two walks walks totalling 15klm and 400 metres up so today we opted for two walks totalling only 13klm but 670 metres up.

Porlock Weir harbour

Start of walk

The first walk started at the picture postcard seaside village of Porlock Weir where we arrived before 8am. Leaving the car in the seafront carpark we headed up into the hills behind and, when I say up, I mean up and a steep up at that. Yearnor Wood was worthy of its description of an attractive wood with its zigzaggy paths that although they may have zigzagged the path could not hide the steepness beneath. 

A still active Toll House

The stone bridges

Under a couple of old stone bridges we strolled before we came to the tiny remote village of Culbone with its tiny church, the smallest parish church in England, quaintly nestled in a valley fed by a babbling stream.

Culbone Church

Inside

Phew

Leaving this amazing place

The church seats only 30 people and cannot be accessed by road and has been this way since the 13th century. Exiting the village via another very steep walking path we finally made it out of the forest to a ridge where, for 2 miles, we walked soaking in the views over Porlock Bay and to the coast of South Wales in the distance. 

Is that South Wales?

We came across a delightful B&B which, after discussion with the elderly owner (who is our age), Julie established it was where our friends Leuwin and John had stayed last year. The walk then reentered another pretty woods also worthy of its name, Worthy Wood.

Two old ladies talking about Leuwin and John

Down we strode, stumbled and staggered along a well formed track that was just as steep as its cousin in Yearnor Wood.

The walk down 

Eventually we arrived back in Porlock Weir for a rest and brunch of seafood chowder for me and crab sandwiches for Julie.

Great lunch in Porlock Weir

Next, travelling via Doone Valley, we arrived at Selworthy, a little village perched high in the hills overlooking Minehead in the distance.

Exmoor Ponies

Julie when she found out there was more uphill on this walk

This particular walk, like our previous one, had a very steep and windy track through through a woods to the 400 BC site of Bury Castle. Today, this once thriving small farming community, is a mere field of grassy covered remnants where with wild imagination one can make out the circular rampart and V-shaped outer ditch.

Where are we Jeff?

Some of the uphill

Exhausting our wild imagination

Cows!!!

Having exhausted our wild imagination we headed back down to Selworthy for a delightful afternoon tea in the gardens beside some beautifully maintained thatched roofed houses that were originally built by the Sir Richard Acland for his retired estate workers. 

No cows and downhill - thank goodness

Arvo tea spot

We dragged ourselves through the Selworthy Church (11th century) and then to our car for the return journey home.

Ancient donation box

View from the church door over Exmoor National Park

Parishioner leaving

Another great day. 

Wednesday 29 August - with the forecast for today being sunny with a few clouds we set our plans to visit Cheddar Gorge and surrounds for the day. The day dawned but the clouds were there with no sun and lots of showers. The new person on shift at the UK Met Bureau had arrived at work early this morning flipped the "Today's Forecast?" coin and looked out the window and then predicted that it was going to be showery with clouds because their research indicates that clouds and showers sometimes go together. 

The forecast sunny day

With our plans changed because of the rain, we set off for tomorrow's walk today, that being an archaeology rich stroll high up in Exmoor NP.  Sun was forecast to appear later in the day but if it didn't it would be because of the clouds because the Met Bureau's latest research is starting to indicate that with clouds there is no sun. Apparently the idea came from watching Superman (research) - you never see Clark Kent in the same room as Superman. 

Carpark at the start of walk

A sign to The Chains

We found the little carpark on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in Exmoor NP and donned our full wet weather gear to set off uphill through boggy sheep paddocks to follow an indistinct path to Chains Barrow.

The clearly marked track

The indistinct path was shown by blue tipped posts that disappeared over the horizon shrouded in misty rain.

The area where the missing blue marker lay

The last post was lying on the ground where the farmer had run over it with his haymaker. 

Julie and the difficult water obstacle

Jeff waiting patiently

Despite these setbacks we found the 2500 BC stone barrow high on the hill with a large concrete ordinance marker carefully placed right in the middle of the 25 metre diameter and 1.7 metre high ancient burial chamber. What a good idea that is!??

Chains Barrow

Picnic at hangi Chains Barrow

We celebrated the achievement by partaking in morning tea before heading off in search of Wood Barrow some 2klm away. 

Walking home with a full nappy

Julie's recent photography course has paid off

Between us and Wood Barrow was a super boggy knee high grass filled stoggy wet paddock with lots of deep covered holes. In fact the terrain was so dangerous to walk on we abandoned the walk after only 100 metres from Chains Barrow and returned to our car. Such a shame but these things happen. So with our plans shot to bits, and having walked for 1.45 hours, we searched for a couple of other things to see and do.

First was Landacre Bridge, an arched bridge built in 1610 across the River Barle. Now this is where we should have targeted our walk for today - right beside a babbling stream in a picturesque valley of Exmoor NP. 

Next to see was Tarr Steps, an ancient clapper bridge again spanning the River Barle. It's estimated age ranges from 2000 BC to 1400 AD. Somewhere within this narrow window some industrious people lifted 34 slabs of stone weighing up to 2 tonnes each and 2.5 metres long out of the river and onto other stones to make the bridge. So, just like many people before us over the last 4000 years or maybe 600 years, we walked across the little bridge only to realize we had to walk back again because our car was on the other side.

Our car is on the other side

Setting our course for home and our local pub for lunch, we passed Cleeve Abbey. Deciding just to have a quick peek we stopped and peeked quickly. Not a bad abbey as far as abbeys go. Established in 1198 it served its community well for 350 years before being shut down by Henry VIII.

Cleeve Abbey

Finally we were allowed to get some food and our local pub, The Hood Arms, again served us a great feed and a cold beer. Julie partook of a cider which is made locally. She said it was a good drop and nothing more as she is asleep for the afternoon while I write this. 

Our local - great food

If we had of known what the weather was going to really be like we would have done some walks more suited to strolling in the rain. However, we had a great day and hope Cheddar Gorge tomorrow will be a fitting end to our time in Somerset.

30 August - our last full day in Somerset. We set off early 6:45am to Cheddar to start the rim walk of this famous and popular gorge. Strangely the south side of the gorge is privately owned and the northside is owned by the National Trust. 500000 visitors a year flock to this limestone gorge and cave system. Today, none of them were awake when we arrived at the Pay and Display carpark at 7:55am.

Early morning in Cheddar

We paid and displayed and set off up the side of the gorge owned by somebody but on a daily basis is administered by goats introduced to keep the weeds down.

Stumbling over miles of slippery limestone outcrops and rocks we had spectacular views over Somerset and Cheddar village.

The views from the private side of Cheddar Gorge

Map of the Rim Walk

The 'sunnyish' weather was a pleasant contrast to yesterday and when the sun did pop out occasionally the gorge turned very photogenic. The rim walk is rated a grade 3 (bloody hard) walk and we can see why.

Cheddar Gorge - average

"Jeff, can you see that round thing?"

"I think I can Julie"

There is a lot of up, a lot of constant slippery limestone rock and lots of people in the village of Cheddar when the walk runs out.

The walk on the National Park side

Morning tea

Goats!

Typical of the track

"Move your hand up Jeff"

We basically had the walk to ourselves only seeing one family, going the other way, and two locals racing some clock they had to beat and that was after we'd been walking for over an hour.

Overall, the gorge is not that big and not that tall and not that spectacular. We were little disappointed however the coffee and brunch we had on a little balcony overlooking a stream with Lion Rock over the road was very good.

Looking up the gorge over my coffee

Told you the gorge was unremarkable

Back to the now full carpark we went and drove through the gorge and headed to the Cathedral town of Wells. 

We paid and displayed again and firstly visited St Cuthbert's Church which is grandiose in its own right. Inside are lots of 1000+ year old relics and graves all beneath a beautiful ceiling.

The roof of St Culbert's

The guy on his knees died in 1614

Intricate carving

The church has a great set of information boards scattered inside that allows the visitor to truly understand how amazing the history of the church is since it first started in the 1200's.

A short walk up the road is the truly spectacular Well's Cathedral. How St Cuthbert's even gets a look in astounds me.  The opulence and grandeur of the Cathedral is amazing. A little older than its poor cousin down the road, the current Cathedral was started in 1180 AD. 

Wells Cathedral

Something we should all have - Cope Chest made from oak in 1120

Julie having a quiet moment

The first church was on the site from 766. The diocese was so successful it was split creating a second one in Bath down the road. 

The grounds and outbuildings are beautiful.  We wandered into the Cathedral to have a look and found out why it is so grand - they have a very effective setup to empty your pockets as you enter the 'free to visit' church. A line of maidens stand behind a counter with credit card machines, open hands to take cash and no change drawers. You have to pass them as they point to the 'suggested' donation amount on a large display board that the church would appreciate.  If you have more to give you can give now or inside in front of other visitors so they they feel they have to too.

Inside is just beautiful

Anyway it was certainly worth it as inside is just beautiful.  The old graves and artifacts line the walls and floor. A grave dating back to 997 was the oldest we could find.

There is a Cope Chest made from oak in 1120 and is still used today. Beautiful stained windows let in the light and the ceiling is remarkable.

Well with our fill of gorges and churches we headed home via Sainsbury's (Coles equivalent) to get ready for moving day tomorrow.

So that is it from Somerset, a very nice part of England. We feel we only touched the surface of what this region has to offer. It would be good to come back.

The end

Bye for now and thanks for listening.

JeffnJulie