My Top Three Favourite Walks
There are so many to choose from and there are obviously millions more that I don’t know about (please do let me know if I’m missing an obvious one though as I’m always looking for new places to explore with the dog) but these are my absolute three favourites (spot the common theme!)
Ham Hill Country Park
This is a great place to go for a walk. It is easy to park and the walk is very accessible. The commanding views of Somerset are well worth the trip and there is a particularly fabulous monument at the top plus a couple of other surprises. There’s a map of the area at the start of the walk so you can’t get lost (especially handy for me as my sense of direction is terrible). There’s also a lovely little pub called The Prince of Wales with outside tables where you can get a decent cup of coffee. Best of all, it opens at 8.30am and as well as lunch and dinner, they serve breakfast between 9 and 11 every day! What’s not to like?
Fonthill Bishop Lake
One of my absolute favourites and not just because you can start and finish at a rather special pub called The Beckford Arms! It’s part of the group that also owns The Lord Poulett Arms (for those of you who are local to Ilminster and know this lovely pub, it’s also a corker). Definitely book a table if you’re planning on eating there or just pop in for a coffee and grab a map of the walk. It’s about 4.5 miles around the lake and is well worth doing although you can also just embark on this circular walk and then turn back should you just fancy a gander at the lake and a long lunch!
Langport River
This is a beautiful spot to sit and contemplate life by the water (lots of benches along the river) or why not hire a paddle board and travel by water instead of on foot?! There happens to be a couple of lovely cafes either side of the bridge and my favourite is The Bridge which is again open from 8am and serves brekkie, brunch and lunch. You can walk alongside the river from here (cross the road to get to the river) on a very well maintained gravel path all the way up to a small car park. From here you can wander back along the path or go back along the road and through the town (some lovely shops to browse) or carry on up to Mulcheney where the Abbey is. A highly recommended walk.
So there you have it, my 3 favourite walks in and around Ilminster in Somerset. If you have any other goodies, please do get in touch.
