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.
Monksilver and the Edge of Exmoor: A Subtle Detour into Childhood
We woke to a suggestion of frost beneath an icy sky. Recent rain reflected the sun’s rays, and the stream running through the village burbled audibly out of sight. All was still. For those who have delved into my earlier posts, you will be au fait with Hunky Punks. The grotesque relatives of gargoyles that adorn churches, taunting unsuspecting parishioners and pilgrims from above. Coupled with the fact that, despite slightly woolly details, Sir Francis Drake was wed here for a second time in 1585, you have a recipe for a fantastic place to start a walk. History and folklore again combine to elicit curiosity.
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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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.
Hidden Yeovil: Jack the Treacle Eater and Nine Springs.
It is fair to say that if I asked you to name a town in the UK beginning with ‘Y’, you’d say Yeovil. You might struggle to name three others. Yeovil has a special place in my heart. It was the town that kick-started my teaching career nearly thirty years ago, which may explain why …
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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.