It's been a long long time since I did a proper hike in UK. With spring coming, I figured it's time I get some exercise, starting with a short 8km walk at the Bleadon Hills in the south west of England.
Not long after I started my walk through some very muddy paths, I got out of the woods and saw an expanse of fields open up in front of my eyes. Although I live not too far away, I have never seen this side of the country side before. I'm very fortunate to have so many gems on my doorstep, and am determined to explore more of it this year.
| The next part of the walk was easier, no more muddy paths. The fields were still on my right hand side and I was walking towards the end of the path with a few houses in sight. This part of the walk is in the middle of nowhere, and people must love it here despite its remoteness. I enjoy a quiet life, but I don't think I can live so remote. | This is the road leading up to the houses I just passed by. It's a quiet country lane and a 5 minute drive from the nearest village, Loxton. I saw a couple of cars drive by, including a Tesla. I think its great that we can all live our lives as we like, wouldn't it be a disaster if everyone opted to life in the built up areas. Who would look after nature? |
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Crook Peak
One advantage of living so remote is that you get amazing views everyday. The peak in front of us is Crook Peak, one of the six summits of the Mendip Hills. The Mendip Hills an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) which basically means it's a very special and beautiful area and has a special status for protection.
Spring lambs were playing around in the fields, I didn't get too close in case the ewe got agitated as they can be very protective of their babies. Sadly, those baby lambs may end up on our dinner table in a few months. I love a good roast lamb, so it's really better that I don't get too close to the lamb in case I feel sorry for them and stop eating roast lamb in the future. Sorry little lambs if I next see you on my dinner plate.
Loxton
After an hour and a half walk, we arrive at a little village called Loxton. This is the village nearest to the houses I passed by earlier on. It has a population of around 200 though I'm surprised it has that many people. There don't seem to be many houses around. It's a lovely place to live if you like country life because it's nice and quiet, and if you drive through the country lanes you're back in town in less than 15 minutes.
One of the landmarks in the village is this street lamp. It was erected by the villagers in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
I didn't spend much time in Loxton, as there wasn't anything else to do. Time to head back and this time I'd be going through more woodlands at a higher elevation. Here's the start of a very slight ascend. England is generally a flat country, our walks never involves much climbing. Easy peasy for nearly everyone.
I saw these beautiful flowers on the way back but didn't know what they were. The plant had spikes on them and the flowers are in a beautiful shade of yellow. I didn't touch them because there were so many spikes. Today I Googled them and they are called gorse and apparently, they have a very nice coconut vanilla smell and can be used to make tea. I wish I knew, I would have foraged some to make some tea, or at least smelled them to experience the fragrance.
A little more ascend...
And I get the stunning open views again. Crook Peak is further away in the background now.
I know I'm nearly at the end of the walk when I reach the gates
I was a bit tired after the walk and slept like a baby that night. I must do this more often, and will be sure to share more UK country side walks with you.
