Synopsis: The weather wasn’t promising, but I felt I had to get out. From Wellington the Black Down Hills were shrouded in mist. Would it clear? No! Rather cold and damp by the end of the day.
Mistake number 2 on this day, after the weather, was the fact that I was confronted, not long out of Wellington, with an M5 motorway that I couldn’t cross. I’d seen a footpath on the map the night before, a footpath that appeared to cross the motorway, but as I approached the motorway a man walking a dog said to me, “You know this path leads nowhere”. He explained that on building the motorway the path I was walking was cut in two. Odd in that it is still finger posted as a ‘restricted’ path, but I suppose the clue was in the use of the word restricted.
I asked the man walking his dogs how I might get to the Black Down Hills from where we were. He explained the shortest and quickest route was to cut across some fields, although this was no public right of away. He said the farmer was usually ok about it, although he didn’t want this practice encouraged. So, with that little warning in mind, I set off in search of a way across the motorway.
After traipsing along a very muddy track I eventually entered onto a lane that I could see went through a tunnel under the motorway. A quick check of the map and I could see a public footpath that would get me back onto my original planned walk route.
Berbestone ManorThere was an awful lot of mud around and my boots were soon heavy with a nice thick coating of the stuff. I see through a hedge a glimpsed view of old Berbestone Manor, what looks like a house of Elizabethan origins. The dog walker informed me that the track I had been on was the old carriage track from the manor house to Wellington.
Eventually I enter onto another lane, this time rising quite steeply in the direction of the Black Down Hills. It’s not long before I’m ascending into the mist and I soon become quite damp. Near the top of the hill I shelter under a fallen pine tree to eat my lunch. I do this reasonably quickly as I was getting quite cold and wet sat there under dripping branches.
I start to follow a track along the ridge of the hills. I ask another dog walker if it’s possible to follow this route all the way to Wellington Monument, but he tells me it isn’t. It’s unfortunate that access is somewhat restricted in the Black Down Hills, and that you’re forced to walk a rather busy road along the ridge. This seems to me something of a blight on what is undoubtedly an area of outstanding beauty, as is its designation.
Wellington Monument, in the mistI stopped briefly at Wellington Monument to take a photo where the monument is barely visible in the mist. As you can imagine, there were no views, therefore little point in hanging around. I set off from the monument down a muddy and slippery path in the direction of Wellington. This time it’s easier for me to cross the motorway, as there is a footpath tunnel under the road.
Wellington – location of a Francis Frith photo
I have some time to spare before my bus was due to arrive so I wandered around Wellington attempting to locate the positions of some Francis Frith photos. Just as with Axminster which I visited a couple of weeks back, there have been few changes to the centre of Wellington.
I’m keen not to miss my bus as I’m cold and damp by now. On finding a seat on the bus I realise that my mud encrusted gaiters weren’t smelling too hygienic. I suppose at least some of the mud was the calling card of cows in the field. I hoped my fellow passengers wouldn’t object too strongly to my presence. I suppose I should have opened a window, but I was too cold to do that. I’m afraid I took the view we should all suffer together.
A walk that would have been a good deal better on a fine day. I make a mental note that I must come back some time.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 12.6 miles
Moving Time: 5hrs 43min
Stopped Time: 30min
Total Ascent: 378 metres
Maximum Elevation: 289 metres
Buses: 92
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