September in Somerset

SUMMARY

WALKINGWOMEN women only walking tours of England

Dates: Monday Sept 9th to Friday Sept 13th – 4 nights/4 walks

Guide:Chrissie Amey our local guide

Walking Grade:2 Goats – average fitness, steady pace, rolling hills..

Base:Huntstile Organic Farm,Goathurst ,Nr Bridgewater,Somerset. This is a very special place to stay and our guests loved it last year. It has been a farm since 1086 and is a listed Manor House. If you want a taste of a historic English farm this is the place. There is even a story about Susanna the friendly ghost who has lived here for centuries ! The food is all local and organic and it is a real treat to experience such wonderful home cooked food.

Arrival: Arrive for 15.00 check in , settle in and an orientation stroll around the farm. Briefing with your guide Chrissie at 18.00 followed by dinner.

If coming by train arrive Taunton 14.00. We will arrange a group transfer to take you to Huntstiles. The nearest airport is Bristol, only an hour away. We can advise on travel so do get in touch.

Departure: Plan to depart after 14.00 as there is a morning walk.

Price: £ 950 fully inclusive of:

• Ensuite accommodation. All rooms are different in their own individual quirky style, some much larger than others – we allocate on a first come first serve basis.
• All meals made with local, organic produce plus snacks during the day.
• Experienced local guiding
• Local transport as required.

If you bring a partner or friend there is a £100 discount 

Not included:

• Travel to Huntstiles
• Drinks

This is a tried and tested WalkingWomen Classic in the heart of the Quantock Hills and the oldest English Area of Natural Beauty.Our base is the very special Huntstile Organic Farm in a gorgeous peaceful setting with extremely comfortable rooms. Perfect for that great nights sleep after a day on the hills. Food is fantastic and all organic,fresh and healthy. This is just the place to relax, eat well and enjoy a WalkingWomen classic.

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DETAILS

Our guide will lead you on a variety of walks to explore the area.The Quantock Hills are a landscape of heathland,ancient woodland,pretty villages and undulating farmland. It is a small wilderness of tranquility that also offers panoramic views towards Wales and Exmoor where you can glimpse the strange Jurassic coastline. It is an area rich in a poetic past inspired by Coleridge and Wordsworth.

If you want tranquillity , space to think and create or simply time away with women then do join this short early autumn break before the winter sets in.

Somerset is a beautiful english county known to be quieter and less trodden than some others.

Stay in a traditional Somerset Farm and experience a slow, peaceful life that takes you back in time. The farm is passionate about food and cooking is a passion. They grow all their own veg and you will have meals made from everything they produce. They even make their own sausages. You may even learn some new recipes !

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Arrival by 5pm for a welcome with Chrissie your local guide. For those arriving earlier there is time to settle in or look around the local area.

Day 2.  8 miles. 70m of ascent and descent

The first day will start from Huntstile farm and take us up to Fyne Court at Broomfield. All that remains of the estate after the house burnt down in the 19C are the grounds and stable block, now managed by the National Trust, where there is café. This walk is an introduction to the rural Quantock area with its small farms and tranquil woodlands.

Day 3. 8.5 miles. 400m of ascent and descent

The second day starts on the Quantock ridge with open heathland of heather and gorse. The walk goes through ancient woods before returning over the highest point of the Quantocks at 384m and along Wills Neck where there are far reaching views out towards Exmoor and across the channel to Wales.

Day 4. 8 miles. 300m ascent and descent

The last full day will explore the far west end of the Quantocks starting above Nether Stowey, where Coleridge and Wordsworth both lived while they wrote the Lyrical Ballads. Walking through ancient sessile oak woods up to the iron age Dowsborough fort, our path then follows beautiful combes, much loved by Dorothy Wordsworth, down to the beach at Kilve, on the Bristol channel, an extraordinary example of Jurassic coastline where fossils can be easily be found. There is a tea shop to welcome us at the end of the walk!

Day 5. 3 miles, level walk

The holiday ends with a leisurely half day walk around Cothelstone Hill where Exmoor ponies graze.

Departure