Somerset....

Moonfleat Cottage, on the lane up to Staple Plantation in West Quantoxhead (St Audries).  This village has two names, and so does St Audrey who was also St Etheldreda the first Abbess of Ely, and apparently where the word 'tawdry' is derived from (the story goes that before she renounced materialism for a spiritual life she used to wear jewellery)  ....

 

 

From the garden there were fabulous views towards Watchet and Minehead...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and the garden came with its own horse called Scooby!  "Are you sure you haven't got any carrots?".....

 

 

 

  

 

 

Staple Lane .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Quantock pony.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Audries church ... the old church collapsed when they replaced the thatched roof with tiles in the mid 1800's, so this version of the church is fairly new...

 

 

 

 

St Audries Bay ...

 

 

 

 

Walking up Beacon Hill....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From 'Dead Woman's Ditch' (probably an iron age territorial boundary) there are many lovely walks through the Quantock heathland ....

 

 

 

and down the lane towards Dowsborough Camp, an iron age hillfort near Nether Stowey

 

 

 

 

and from Walford's Gibbet just down the road, more views - every way you turn...

 

 

 

 

 

At Holford, Hodder's Combe.....

 

 

 

and up the steep slope of Dowsborough Camp...

 

 

... at the very top there is a clearing with good views over the Bristol Channel, however, as I was on my own I was afraid to get lost, and although there were some sheep standing by the path I came up on, I wasn't convinced they would stay put to guide me back down, even though I asked them nicely from one vegetarian to another!  So, I chickened out, but I won't next time!

 

At Blue Anchor .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brent Knoll, a village named after the hill, the hill is topped by an iron age hillfort ... a bit of a climb, but well worth it for the views.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crowcombe Gate, walking The Drove towards the Triscombe Stone and Will's Neck ....(but didn't get to see Will's Neck on this walk ... that was for another day)

 

 

 

 

 

Cannington, where The Fair Rosamund was from!

 

 

Dropping by Moorlinch church for the views from it's churchyard across King's Sedge Moor....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.... and then up Wearyall Hill in lovely Glastonbury....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and after a brief stop off at High Ham I've decided who I'm going to vote for on the 7th May....

 

 

 

From Lideard Hill walking to Will's Neck the highest summit on the Quantock Hills 1261 feet (384 m) high...., that's high to me!

 

 

And finally we meet Will ......!

 

 

 

 

.... and Will's little friends....

 

 

 

Dunster Estate.... has the tallest tree in England, a Douglas Fir, 197 feet 60.05 metres (2009)...

 

 

 

 

Burnham on Sea....