boboneleg Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 So with a free pass out for good friday I was keen for a ride as I am required for other duties the rest of easter. I had a look at my Wild Guide book (cheers @yen_powell) and found a 'tower' down in Somerset so that was the destination. So away by 08.30 and down through Cheddar Gorge before the hordes arrive, the goats seem to get more and more each year............. Sorry about the fuzzy photos, I must be getting shaky. Anyway, across the moors to Wedmore and Westhay and then up through Shapwick. Hang on a second !! what the feck is that in that field............... Yep, a skeleton's head. I presume it's it's a leftover from the carnival season. What say you @Slowlycatchymonkey ? Stopped for a shot of St Mary's church in Huish Episcopi................. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busabeast Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 Say that when you're pissed bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 Excellent Bob! Looks like good weather too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 A bit further down the road is Muchelney Abbey, for some parts of the year when the Somerset levels flood it looks like this, cut off from the rest of the locality............ Today it was much better, the Abbey....................... and the modern church................ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 So now I moved on to the original destination. I had scoped it out on google earth and the easiest way in was to ride a short distance up a bridleway, I was ready for a fight if I got any moaners but it was ok so I parked here........... and now for the assault on the hill. First I had to walk across this field............. and the view back to the bike.................. Then it was up here and here and here until I got to the top, this really gave me a workout............... Eventually I got to the top and the tower. There were stunning views from the top but ultimately it was dissapointing as the entrance was boarded up I made my way back down by a different route after sorting out my leg. It's obvious that there must have been a castle or something here in the past as you can clearly see a moat............. and the Motte............. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 My knees wouldn't have coped with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 21 minutes ago, XTreme said: My knees wouldn't have coped with that! I'll admit that was fecked after that walk , I'll finish the rest of the report tomorrow as I'm knackered now. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowlycatchymonkey Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 34 minutes ago, boboneleg said: So with a free pass out for good friday I was keen for a ride as I am required for other duties the rest of easter. I had a look at my Wild Guide book (cheers @yen_powell) and found a 'tower' down in Somerset so that was the destination. So away by 08.30 and down through Cheddar Gorge before the hordes arrive, the goats seem to get more and more each year............. Sorry about the fuzzy photos, I must be getting shaky. Anyway, across the moors to Wedmore and Westhay and then up through Shapwick. Hang on a second !! what the feck is that in that field............... Yep, a skeleton's head. I presume it's it's a leftover from the carnival season. What say you @Slowlycatchymonkey ? Stopped for a shot of St Mary's church in Huish Episcopi................. I dunno if thats carnival or something to do with the odd pagan stuff that appears sometimes. Did you see the massive monster type thing that appeared in a field last year? The closer you get to Glastonbury the weirder it gets. Great ride that though, theres a nice place in Wells to take a flask of tea, it has with superb views for miles and miles. You probably already know Deerleap car park but if not thats well worth a visit (on a clear day before the grockles get up). https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/gallery/mysterious-figure-appears-side-hill-5370559 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Deerleap+Car+Park/@51.2398674,-2.691681,17.14z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x48721f4d9e1914cd:0x80710ba7c100425f!2sDeerleap,+Wells,+UK!3b1!8m2!3d51.2337597!4d-2.6891064!3m4!1s0x48721f4f18fb4027:0x1cc819049214b5c3!8m2!3d51.2404449!4d-2.6903136 Paganism is alive and kicking in the West Country. Just remembered even though my school was distinctly CofE we still had to make corn dollies every year to thank Mother Earth for the Harvest during Harvest Festival, country dancing was a compulsory class Theres still a Harvest Home every year, although they have conveniently moved it from the last full moon before the equinox to august because the weathers nicer I remember my Pa saying its bad enough they're filling your head with the one lot of superstitious claptrap but two lots, what is wrong with them?! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckster Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 Good report, gimp. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted April 16, 2022 Author Share Posted April 16, 2022 12 hours ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said: I dunno if thats carnival or something to do with the odd pagan stuff that appears sometimes. Did you see the massive monster type thing that appeared in a field last year? The closer you get to Glastonbury the weirder it gets. Great ride that though, theres a nice place in Wells to take a flask of tea, it has with superb views for miles and miles. You probably already know Deerleap car park but if not thats well worth a visit (on a clear day before the grockles get up). https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/gallery/mysterious-figure-appears-side-hill-5370559 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Deerleap+Car+Park/@51.2398674,-2.691681,17.14z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x48721f4d9e1914cd:0x80710ba7c100425f!2sDeerleap,+Wells,+UK!3b1!8m2!3d51.2337597!4d-2.6891064!3m4!1s0x48721f4f18fb4027:0x1cc819049214b5c3!8m2!3d51.2404449!4d-2.6903136 Paganism is alive and kicking in the West Country. Just remembered even though my school was distinctly CofE we still had to make corn dollies every year to thank Mother Earth for the Harvest during Harvest Festival, country dancing was a compulsory class Theres still a Harvest Home every year, although they have conveniently moved it from the last full moon before the equinox to august because the weathers nicer I remember my Pa saying its bad enough they're filling your head with the one lot of superstitious claptrap but two lots, what is wrong with them?! If you look just north of Deerleap carpark on the opposite side of the road is Dursdon Drove, one of my favourite trails. That would be a good one to take your Himalayan along Deerleap car park used to be one of my fag stops when I smoked . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted April 16, 2022 Author Share Posted April 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Buckster said: Good report, gimp. Thank you Ian, I love you too 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted April 16, 2022 Author Share Posted April 16, 2022 So where were we ? My next destination was Perry's cider Mill , it's not a cider that I've tasted before and they have a cafe , museum and shop So after a very brief run on the horrible A303 dual-carriageway I made my way on roads like this........... and in the village on Dowlish Wake I came across a gorgeous little bridge over the ford............. Just around the corner was the Cider mill...................... Unfortunately the museum and the cafe weren't open (bloody covid) but you were free to wander around the courtyard and have a nosey........... Luckily the shop was open so I bought as much as I could fit in my box............. and then I took a similar route back home but up through Charterhouse rather than Cheddar gorge as it would have been heaving by now I stopped once more for a coffee from my flask overlooking Chew Valley lake from the Mendip hills................. I don't know who this twat was but he'd been following me about all day in the sunshine............... 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowlycatchymonkey Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 Great pics. Nice write up. Thanks for the trail tip, when I bring the Himmy back from Spain in June Ill have look 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Nice fields, buying booze is a nice theme for a ride, I do it often 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooN Posted April 24, 2022 Share Posted April 24, 2022 nice one Bob, my knees would have struggled with that climb as well! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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