When the Light Returns: From Flooded Moors to Brighter Days.
As winter slowly loosens its grip, I find myself reflecting on incongruent sadness, the weight of low moods, and the small daily beauties that help us move forward.
Wandering Barrington’s Hidden Ways. Autumn Among the Holloways.
Thankfully, one of the many delights of living in Somerset is the opportunity to enjoy exploring places that remain off the wider radar. It doesn’t take long to lose yourself in a walk that transports you to another world altogether, even though, in reality, home and the daily bustle lie close by. This is particularly true when you throw ‘Holloways’ into the mix.
A Curious Cyclist’s Somerset. Hunky Punks and Hidden Histories
The chance viewing of a programme about folklore inspired today’s two-wheeled wander. This particular one was hosted by Charlie Cooper ( He of ‘This Country’ fame), who took a warmly amusing and enthusiastic look into folklore tales from around the country. From the ‘Black Dog’ to crop circles and the legend of King Arthur, the …
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Somerton at Dawn. A Chance to Take Stock and Appreciate Simple Pleasures.
So here I am, at an important moment. The school year has come to a close, and more significantly, the threshold of turning fifty has been crossed. My task for this summer break is clear. Can I demonstrate an improved ability to relax and enjoy making the most of it, without anxieties creeping in? The …
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Tealham and Tadham Moor: Seeking The Wilderness Nearby
Since boyhood, I’ve been fascinated by wilderness, not as a place at first, but as an idea. One Christmas in 1988, I unwrapped a hardback guide called Wild Walks, a book that chronicled some of the most remote landscapes in the UK. Its photographs carried me far beyond the edge of the suburbs, and I …
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Lambert’s Castle and Fishpond Bottom: The Joy of Wandering Spontaneously
Today’s little slice of exploration took me somewhere I have driven past countless times on the way to Lyme Regis but never stopped to see. The lure of a castle sharing my family name, paired with the childish delight of visiting anywhere with “Bottom” in the title, was enough to point the car towards Dorset …
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Glastonbury, Revisited: Scratching under the Spiritual Surface.
Living in a place as beautiful as this makes it easy to take the familiar for granted. Yet Glastonbury Tor has a habit of demanding attention. At 518 feet it isn’t a mountain, but it dominates the landscape for miles, a constant presence you can’t quite ignore. Set within the mystical Isle of Avalon and …
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Wandering Langport’s Inland Sea: Serenity on the Somerset Levels
Today, though, was one of winter’s rare gifts. Cold, still, and inviting. The kind of morning that feels like a clean slate. Perfect for clearing the head and exploring a landscape that wears each season like a different coat.
Somerton and Beyond: Small Journeys to Steady the Mind.
Walking for wellbeing doesn’t require grand plans or distant horizons. Sometimes it begins by asking how well we really know the place we call home.