Rambling on a round trip to see the Great Circle

TOURISTS are starting to discover a ‘remarkable’ village near Bristol with riverside views, a well-rated pub and a prehistoric attraction. Stanton Drew in Somerset’s Chew Valley is an ideal spot for a pub walk this summer, particularly if you're a fan of a Sunday roast.

- 

A 5km out-and-back route will also take in the neighbouring village of Pensford, known for its historic viaduct and its claim to ‘Britain's best beer garden!

‘The route on hiking app AllTrails promises ‘beautiful scenery as it takes you under the Pensford Viaduct and along the River Chew all the way to visit the Stanton Drew Great Circle’ We'd intended to do the walk in reverse so we could start and end in Stanton Drew, where we had booked in for lunch at The Druid’s Arms pub.

‘There were plenty of free parking spaces when we arrived there late on a Sunday morning. Another option would be to start in Pensford and get there by bus - the Bristol to Glastonbury 376 service passes through and means you won't have to worry about finding a space. You could also make better use of Pensford’s three pubs.

Sadly our morning hadn't gone to plan so we didn't have time to walk to Pensford and back, but we did have a lovely wander around Stanton Drew gawping at some of the impressive homes and visiting its main attraction - Stanton Drew Circles. This free English Heritage site (with a £1 suggested donation in the honesty box) is the third largest stone circle site in England after Stonehenge and Avebury, but was almost empty when we arrived.