chelynch to frome
east mendip way
24th august 2013
Today's walk starts at the Poacher's Pocket pub car park in Chelynch. The path leaves Chelynch along the King's Road and enters farmland where there is allegedly a footpath. All I saw was a field full of corn so I immediately got lost before eventually finding my way to the Waggon & Horses pub on the Old Frome Road. Thanks Newman Street Farm for the entertaining diversion!
To regain the East Mendip Way I walked down the Old Frome Road to Long Cross and then walked down Funtle Lane where some buzzards were calling.
The path then leads to Dallimore Lane and climbs up away from the village of Dean.
The OS map and my Mendip Way guide book seem to suggest that the path leads to a communications mast and past Cranmore Tower but the way marks seem to disagree and I only got a glimpse of Cranmore Tower through the trees. A path passes between Great Gains Wood and Battlefields Wood where some swallows were enjoying the late summer weather. Actually, it was a bit grey but they seemed to be enjoying it anyway.
The path then passes Bottlehead Springs where water can be heard bubbling in the ditches.
A road junction is reached at the village of Downhead but the path soon leaves the road and climbs to Asham Wood before following the valley through the woods. The path here was filthy and I got lost again and ended up on the Old Wells Road instead of reaching the village of Chantry.
Walking along roads led me back to the village of Chantry where a couple of loose, grumpy dogs chased me down the village, barking and baring their teeth. What a welcoming village Chantry is!
A way mark led me to a field where there was no sign of a footpath so I got lost again before finally finding my way back to Whatley Quarry.
The Way then skirts around Whatley Quarry before reaching Chantry Lane. Presumably Saturday isn't a blasting day so it was fairly peaceful. The path then enters woods at Railford Bottom before climbing the valley side using a series of steps with a great view back to Whatley Quarry.
great elm duckpond
Eventually the path reaches the Mells to Frome road at Murder Combe before crossing the quarry railway line and then arrives at the duckpond at Great Elm.
limekiln
The path then passes a series of disused limekilns and some large quarry stones and then follows Egford Brook where an alleged way mark was absent so I missed the path out of the valley and so another diversion eventually led me to The Leys with some lovely views over the Mendips. The path then descended to the A362 road on the outskirts of Frome.
Leaving the A362 the Way goes through the suburb of Trinity, built in the latter half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century and is a fine example of early industrial housing.
The path become a pedestrian walkway at York Street before descending towards Market Place and the end of the walk.
frome
Wildlife encountered on the walk today :-
- cows
- sheep
- horses
- buzzards
- swallows
- a couple of female pheasants
- a lone red admiral
Marks out of ten?
If it wasn't for the dogs, the woeful way marks and the awful footpaths I'd have given it 2/10 but the dogs et al have downgraded it to 1/10. Needless to say I won't be returning. Thanks to Mendip District Council for a shocker of a walk!
View chelynch to frome in a larger map