A LOT OF TALKING ON THIS WALK!

The early mornings are now much darker and colder!  Today was a chance for Jenny and I to have a catch-up so there was much talking as well as walking!  We did one of our favourite walks around Shepton, where we walked through farmland and had a great view of the Charlton Road viaduct - see above.

Part of the walk was down a wooded bridleway which always has many interesting shaped branches and twigs on the ground.  In the past we have collected these for Christmas decorations etc. and today was no exception!  Jenny chose to take a striking branch with a long tall stem - ideal to stand up for a decorative, natural alternative to a Christmas tree! 

MISTS AND MELLOW FRUITFULNESS!

Judging by this morning's walk, 'the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness', is here!  Jenny and Belinda and I walked to West Shepton and ended up in Bowlish, before heading up the High Street and back home through Collett Park.

It was inspiring to chat, catch up and talk about where our lives are at the moment and what we want for the future...  

We saw plenty of flowers around Shepton and in people's front gardens, as well as blackberries and loads of red berries...

Collett Park and the allotments still have plenty of colour and interest as can be seen above.  Town Street (the pedestrian walkway joining the High Street is getting more and more interesting with new interior and vintage shops.  If you are wondering what I am looking at in the picture above - some scaffolding is being put up for a building to have a facelift.  All good news for the High Street...

A FAVOURITE WALK FOR A CATCH UP!

Today, Belinda and I took one of our favourite walks - from Dulcote to Wells.  The pathway is a mecca for joggers and people walking their dogs.  This morning the sky was blue and the sun was shining and as we hadn't met up for some time, there was plenty to talk about!  On our route to the Bishop's Palace, we came across a field of friendly bullocks - see below...

Once into Wells, I did some window shopping, looking especially at the window dressing as I help with the window in the One Craft Gallery in Shepton.  I particularly liked these clothes mannequins with their animal heads, and the white decal of cow parsley seed heads which adorn a beauty salon, (pics shown below).  A trip into Wells is also a chance for a coffee, even early in the morning...

MELLS IS A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT!

Early this morning I went for a walk with Belinda. We took the car out of Shepton and ended up at the picturesque village of Mells.  It is a lovely village, full of beautiful historic stone buildings.  We started by walking through the churchyard and then onto public footpaths.  The church has a majestic venue of ancient yew trees (see top left pic) and around the village there were loads of flowers, including one of my favourites, Hollyhocks.  They come in such wonderful colours - see bottom middle and middle right pics above...

A large part of our walk consisted of circumnavigating an extremely large field of maize which was in places as tall as me and is still growing!

There were some interesting wildflowers, including several varieties of thistles, so we had to be careful where we walked!  It was a strange day for weather, cloudy, but extremely warm and humid.  Apparently, we are in for a mini heatwave during the next few days with hot air coming over from France, so if there is walking to be done it is best to get out early!

A COOLER MORNING BUT THE FLOWERS WERE BLOOMING!

This morning I went for a walk around the outskirts of Shepton with Belinda.  We decided not to take the car anywhere, as the thousands of people attending the nearby Glastonbury Festival, would be leaving the site, and all the roads around us would be clogged!

Our mini heatwave over the weekend has ended, thank goodness.  I prefer it a bit cooler!  We went up to Barren Down, all long grasses, wild flowers, and great views of the church and town.  We then took footpaths past the cemetery, and walked down the Meadows and up the High Street...

The recent sunshine has brought all the flowers out.  Everything is blooming!  I do enjoy looking and seeing how some people use them to enhance their entrances and front gardens.  The sculpture (see above top middle pic), embedded in gravel was rather intriguing.  At the moment there is nothing else in this front garden...

   

FROM DULCOTE TO WELLS!

Early this grey bank holiday morning, Belinda and I drove to Dulcote and then walked into the beautiful city of Wells.  We hadn't managed to get out on a walk in recent weeks so there was plenty to talk about!

Wells is dominated by its wonderful cathedral and other historic buildings, such as the Bishop's Palace and moat, which are illustrated in the two sets of photographs above...

This is such a great time of year, everything is green and lush with lovely flowers, such as these gorgeous foxgloves shown above.  On our way back to the car we investigated the entrance to Tor Hill Woods - I am standing by the map in the pic above left.  They looked very inviting, but rather hilly, (see centre top pic).  As we were short on time, we vowed to have a walk there on another occasion!

EASTER MONDAY MORNING IN HARRIDGE WOODS!

I can't think of a nicer way to spend the early morning of a sunny Easter Bank Holiday Monday than a walk in Harridge Woods, Oakhill with friends.  Belinda, Jenny and I hadn't met up in ages so there was a lot to talk about!  We went to see the wild garlic, but at the entrance of the woods all we could see were bluebells and evidence, in the form of logs, of a continual maintenance programme.  This work is carried out by the Somerset Wildlife Trust who own the woods. 

However, as we walked deeper into the woods, there were carpets of wild garlic.  It was mostly in leaf and bud but we did see some of pretty white star-like flowers.  We reckon another week or so before it is all in full flower.  We could certainly smell the garlic...

One of the exciting things on this particular walk, is the way the woods are reclaiming the ruins of Ashwick Grove House (see above).  Only hints of the former grand house and outbuildings remain...

Another ruin on the walk is Keepers Cottage (see top left), which has been preserved from further collapse, as a habitat for bats.  Overall, the building supports at least seven species of bat throughout the year.  These woods are a great place for fungi, wildflowers, lichen, ferns, moss, as well as birds and wild animals.  We didn't see any deer this time but we did hear plenty of birdsong and an active woodpecker!

FROM PRIDDY TO WOOKEY HOLE!

Today's walk was all about the views!  Early this morning, Belinda and I drove to Priddy, and took the Wookey Hole road until we found a car park, with picnic area and footpaths.  We were still high up on the Mendips so had fantastic vistas which were made even more special with blue sky and white fluffy clouds.  We could see Glastonbury Tor and way beyond for miles. Belinda tried out some panoramic shots with her new phone!

 

We had to wrap up warm as there was a chill in the air and a bracing wind, but it was bright and sunny.  We came across a very smart modern stile of a design we had not seen before - see centre pic.  The footpaths took us across farmland which was well managed with more good fencing and metal gates...

This morning I was looking for derelict farm buildings to take photographs of, as subject matter for an art course.  We spotted this building, shown above, just outside of Priddy and had to stop as it fitted the brief perfectly!

IT IS WORTH WALKING TO WELLS!

Today it was a beautiful sunny morning for a walk.  Belinda and I drove to Dulcote and then walked into Wells and had a cup of tea at the Swan Hotel!  The only blott on the landscape was a sculptural concrete bench, which had been defaced by offensive messages and ugly graffiti...  

The pathway in, which is popular with joggers, brought us to the moat around the Bishop's Palace with a direct view of wonderful Wells Cathedral - see pics below...

Wells is full of historic buildings, especially around the Cathedral and the Vicars' Close -  which is claimed to be the oldest surviving residential street with original buildings in Europe - see bottom photograph.

I am always interested in window displays and this morning I was taken with the surreal looking mannequins, in a Wells clothes shop, that had animal heads!  There was a rabbit. wolf and owl - see middle and top right pics above.  Wells is always an interesting and picturesque place to visit...

SNOWDROPS ARE EVERYWHERE!

Today Belinda and I went for local walk and viewed the aftermath of the Snowdrop Festival, which took place at the weekend.  Belinda said that Shepton had been buzzing!

I was right about the winner of the Best Dressed Window - it was Anna's Attic.  The trophy can be seen above top left.  Incidentally, it was made by Fran Davies, a specialist stained glass artist, and one of the members of the One Craft Gallery.  We, at the gallery got  highly commended, as did the Opticians in the High Street - Christopher Young, whose window can be seen in the three bottom pics above...

Our walk took us to the Charlton Viaduct, part of which is in the gardens of Kilver Court.  Our route went by their vegetable garden which is being prepared for planting - see above centre top photograph. 

The snowdrop festival is run by Shepton Mallet Horticultural Society and they have implemented a massive planting programme, so wherever you go in and around the town, you can see the delicate white snowdrop heads.  We saw them everywhere - they are a welcome sign of the forthcoming Spring!

ANTICIPATING THE SNOWDROP FESTIVAL!

So much for good intentions!  Belinda, Jenny and I have found that colds, work and life commitments have got in the way of the three of us going for a walk!  However, yesterday the sun shone and we managed to get together to have a look around Shepton and follow some public footpaths around the outskirts.

The walk, for me, starts by walking to Jenny's beauty salon, Skin and Tonic - see above right pic.   We had a look at the new lifestyle shop in Town Street - Cedar House and checked out what was happening in the High Street...

As Shepton is quite hilly, you get some interesting views, looking down into people's houses and gardens - see above. 

The town is starting to buzz in anticipation to the Shepton Snowdop Festival which takes place this coming weekend.  At the One Craft Gallery, I had a hand in the window dressing (see above).  My painting, 'Dancing Snowdrops' can be seen in the bottom right photograph. 

Above is the fabulous snowdrop window done by Anna for her shop, Anna's Attic. She won the best window design last year and it looks as though she is set to win again!

A NEW YEAR OF WALKING!

Today Belinda, Jenny and I managed to get together for a walk, the first of the New Year.  We were all busy in the run up to Christmas and Jenny went to America and I went to the Isle of Wight for the festivities.  We all decided that we definitely needed to get fitter this year and do more exercise, so this was a start!

Although we have had the shortest day, it was still quite dark when we set out in the early morning.  Today, we went into the countryside above Shepton, and ended up at Bowlish before heading home.  The doorway pictured above is at the historic Old Bowlish House and the allotments we passed on our way back through the park were showing signs of activity - see above.  The top left photograph shows a creative bug hotel which we didn't investigate for activity...

CASTLE CARY IS FULL OF GOLDEN STONE BUILDINGS!

Today, Jenny, Belinda and I explored Castle Cary, a small town eight miles south of Shepton.  It has some beautiful historic buildings, including the Round House, one of the four smallest lock-ups in the country - see centre pic.  The two top right photographs show the magnificent  Market House, the hub of the community, and even the Post Office (see top left) is housed in a golden stone building...

As part of our exploration we took refreshments in the old George Inn, sitting in the window by a roaring log fire - see above. 

We did some window shopping in the High Street, admired the Christmas decorations, and then walked into the countryside beyond.  The day started quite cold, dry and grey, but the sun came out and transformed the morning.  

In Shepton we are surrounded by great villages and towns that are worth looking at. We are on a mission to seek them out!