Ambling Round Appley

- Simone Stanbrook-Byrne

THIS LOVELY WALK with glimpses of history is ideal for those who only have a couple of hours to spare. Alternatively it can be ‘packaged up’ with other treats en route to make a good day out. Part of the route follows the West Deane Way, a 50 mile circular walk through the Vale of Taunton Deane.

Medieval Cothay Manor, with its gardens and tea room, is part-way round; check out its website (cothaymanor. co.uk) for details of opening.

The walk begins and ends at Appley’s Globe Inn, an ancient and characterful place dating back 500 years which, sadly, has recently closed. Fingers crossed for its resurrection.

1 With your back to the Globe Inn turn left on the lane for about 20m to reach the driveway for Stone Barn Farm and Cottages on the right. Here an overgrown wooden fingerpost directs off the lane along a grassy path that runs alongside the drive to the house. Shown as a footpath on the map, this is also a permitted bridlepath and part of the West Deane Way. Take it.

Go through a bridlepath gate, after which the track widens with a post and rail fence to the right. Further to the right delicious views lead the eye to the distant Wellington Monument. Constructed to mark the Duke of Wellington’s victory at Waterloo, work began on the monument in 1817 but lack of funding hampered completion and it wasn’t finished until decades after the Duke’s death.

The track reaches a metal gate beside a stile. Beyond here walk through the field beside the left-hand hedge. At the end of the field pass through two bridlepath gates in quick succession then continue as before; hedge to the left, picturesque countryside all around. Although not obvious from the field, this hedge marks the line of an ancient green lane.