As the eight fairly weary walkers and a dog sat down in the garden of the New Inn in Blagdon, the view over the valley and lake were enchanting. Drinks in hand, except for the dog, we reflected on the highlights of what had been a splendid “ramble”.

First and foremost, the weather had been outstanding. The lake under a blue sky had proved a source of great interest teaming with wild life and the evocative 'honking' of formations of geese as they arrived from the north and stopped off for food. A brief stop was made to admire the quaintness of the little toilet in the woods and shortly after for refreshments.

From the lake we entered the dense woods, following a leafy path upwards to the open fields. Crossing the river we were amazed by the shoal of large trout which swam beside the bridge and looked right for 'tickling'. The open hillside was steep and quite hard work but the views, particularly of the old church, were worth the effort. The path now became narrow and rocky with high hedges
sporting a great crop of blackberries, which members happily gathered for crumbles and other recipes.

From time to time, like windows, a gate broke the hedges giving magnificent panoramas across the patchwork of the countryside. Eventually, after a steep descent, we gained the tarmac road back to the start. Luckily the road was not busy so we progressed at a pace until we reached the last steep hill up to the pub.

The final walk from the pub back to the car park gave some of the finest views of the day particularly of the village and church. It had been quite a hard outing with many inclines and rough paths. The rewards, however, were the variety and beauty of the scenery, the peacefulness of the location, the abundance of bird life and the sociability of the company. Another success for the footpaths group.

Photograph taken on the way to the New Inn at Blagdon for a drop of Butcombe’s!

Report from Carol Wood
Photo by Liz Byrd