Minehead to Crowcombe

Way longer than I'd wanted for a first day back on the trail but sooo  good to be walking again. 17 miles today when I'd been planning an average of 12 but I had to change accommodation at the last minute which added a bit and then I went down a dead end which added a bit more.... Komoot summary here: https://www.komoot.com/tour/115602584?ref=wtd
So this is the start of a project to carry on from the SWCP and head towards the
Scottish border (this year) and on to John O'Groats next year. That's a looong way and who knows how far I'll get but I'll give it a go - would be nice to do it before I'm 70 😁.

The weather driving down last night was pretty grim so I was delighted to see Minehead in the sunshine this morning. It was some distraction at least from the after effects of (I think) a Thai curry: all wind and fire, if you get my drift...

Surprisingly, the name Minehead has nothing to do with mining. It comes from the Welsh Mynydd meaning mountain.

There's a new England coastal path that's finished on this part of the coast so I could follow that past a very long line of beach houses

This section also runs close to Dunster Castle, home to the Luttrell family in the 1800s but there's been a castle here since normal times. It's now run by the National Trust 

It doesn't take long before the route starts to climb through waterlogged fields and woods. As Micawber might have said: height of shoe 4 inches, depth of puddle 5 inches, result misery. Well, wet feet anyway. 

The waterlogging has resulted in some landslips, not surprisingly, and I came upon this one suddenly. It was at least a mile from the roadside turn off and there was no way I was going back to get even wetter feet so I didn't have much option but to rather gingerly edge past it and carry on.

The route then comes down into Watchet, which is just a lovely little town, full of local stone-faced houses and small winding streets, and an extraordinary harbour-side mural (or Muriel, as my favourite malapropism would have it):

It was painted by a local amateur to celebrate carnivals and other local events, of which there are apparently quite a lot here. Watchet's particular claim to fame is to have been the inspiration for Coleridge's Ancient Mariner (after a walk with his friends William and Dorothy Wordsworth) and there's a commemorative statue on the harbour side.

The route passes through an old hill fort, used by Alfred the Great for a Burh to defend against viking raids. It developed into a substantial port and coins minted here have been found as far away as Copenhagen and Stockholm.

The harbour here is large and has been modified to create an extensive marina but sadly there's been some dispute over dredging the entrance so they can't now close the inside surge gates to protect against northerly storms

Watchet used to be an important centre for paper making, using wood from the nearby Quantock hills. At one time the local company was the largest manufacturer of paper bags in the UK. Sadly the factory closed in 1995.

There used to be two railway lines here, one from thee iron ore mines in the Brendon hills and the other on the West Somerset railway which was extended to Minehead in 1874. It is this one that remains, as a steam operated heritage tourist attraction - the West Somerset Heritage Railway

Crossing over the tracks, the normal route was again blocked after storm damage and I managed to avoid the proper route along the beach, opting instead for what turned out to be a cliff top cul de sac through a dilapidated and disused caravan park complete with grocers' apostrophe.

Retracing my steps added a good half mile or so as I opted not to tackle the rubble strewn beach but head off up the road. At least that took me past what must be the most creative driftwood house number sign I've seen

Just a guess but I think it's number 2. 

More road work through Doniford which was a wartime site for anti-aircraft practice, past its request-stop railway station, and then up into the Quantocks. I'd no idea what to expect and first impressions were just beautiful:

Too soon for any flowers but I'll bet its amazing when spring gets going.

Plenty more like this:

It's following the Coleridge Way which then links up with the Macmillan Way West - much to Gill's approval I'm sure. This was probably the loveliest section of the day, an enchanting stroll through beech woods alongside a picturesque stream, dappled sunlight and firm underfoot. 

I shared the climb with a very posh-sounding woman who'd been looking for her collie (we found it - hiding among the bracken). By the time we'd reached the top the terrain had changed completely. Now it was open moorland and this is the Quantocks proper

This is Hinckley Point in the distance

I was surprised by frequent encounters with passing 4x4s and quad bikes, obviously going to join in some event on the moor tops and then the reason became apparent:

this was the Quantock hunt, out to follow a trail dragged the previous day. Whatever my thoughts on fox-hunting, this certainly looked a better way to travel than shanks' pony. The Quantock is one of the few remaining stag hunts, although they now only use a dragged scent to follow. Officially, anyhow - there seems to be a loophole that allows a hunt if there are only two hounds.

By this time I was more than ready to stop walking for the day but stopped to admire the few trees that survive up here: quite dramatic

This is a beech but not like any one I'd seen before

Although now quite close to my accommodation for the night (The Craven Arms) the final stretch was down a long and very steep hill into the village. As all walkers know, the downhill is the most knackering but thankfully my room has a bath so an hour's soak later (all right, a nap) I was ready for dinner and a pint. Crowcombe is a small village with an imposing grade 1 listed Crowcombe Court. This has the traditional church at the end of the drive, with a separate side entrance for the lord and family. The pub was founded in 1700, originally the Three Lions, and takes its current name from the Lord of the Manor in the time of Elizabeth 1.

Part of the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night was filmed on the railway at Crowcombe.

Tomorrow's plan is a 16k stroll into North Petherton and the beginnings of the Somerset Levels.