Not a million miles from home this time amidst the three Bs south of Glastonbury - Baltonsborough, Butleigh and Barton St David, staying in a labyrinthine cottage of listed loveliness in walking distance of the local. What more could one need ? Nevertheless new routes were discovered, several beers enjoyed and yummy cakes dispatched courtesy of our hosts (sorry; we ate them all). And, talking of labyrinths, rather than fear the footsteps of the Minotaur, we shared this country retreat with something far, far worse - the dreaded Lickosauraus ! AKA Skye - a one year old bundle of the most affectionate Golden Labrador one could imagine. Golly, such has been the tongue lashing I’ve endured over the week that I’m sure I’ve lost a collar size with the amount of epidermis that’s been worn away. We had a ball together discovering all of the paths and bridleways in and out of the local village and further beyond to the delights of the Cheddar Reservoir, the hills at Dundon and one of the nicest walks we’ve found in Somerset at Batcombe (does everywhere near here start with a B ?). Cheddar was easy - whilst the wife languished in the dentist’s chair I was let loose with the beast to circumnavigate this huge lake - a glorious circular puddle nestled against the backdrop of the brooding Mendip hills. No map needed for this one and Skye quickly discovered a liking for walking atop the low retaining wall most of the 2.5 mile way around. Batcombe was special, starting from a village whose honey-stone houses all seemed to be an outpost of the landed gentry (where do the peasants live ?) around primeval ponds, through woods, over hills and along rivers. Lovely. We had intended to lunch at the much lauded Three Horseshoes on our return but fell foul of the Westcombe Dairy a mile before the end. Here we sampled generous offerings of their cheese and charcuterie platters, washed down with local apple juice. A must visit location indeed ! Trouble is we may have given Skye an expensive appetite for Serrano ham . . . And the Dundon hills, despite their mere 100m elevation, provide some of the most jaw-dropping views across Somerset - all the way to Exmoor, the Quantocks, Glastonbury Tor and the Dorset borders. With woodlands and wide open meadows this was heaven for the hound who just adores hurtling across turfy grassland. The local routes were nice too - especially the way through fields and orchards to a wonderful little honesty-box type farm shop on the outskirts of Butleigh where we stocked up on more than one occasion. Sourdown Farm also hold the occasional ‘pop-up’ bar and coffee morning. Residents included the goats, chickens and a pair of rheas; in marital disharmony apparently . . . In the middle of our stay we took Skye to her regular puppy training centre which she (and her bestie Tara) just adore. Might be because of the treats they receive mind you. Strange how their obedience is far more focused at the centre than it is elsewhere ! In fact we met up with Tara (see our previous adventures) a couple of times over the ten days which gave the pooches the opportunity to create mayhem in their respective homes - chasing, tumbling, and tugging all over the shop. Crikey, the gardens looked like bomb sites afterwards what with the scattered remnants of once intact toys grabbed from their box by enthusiastic jaws. And then it was over - time to go and more heart strings broken. We so miss Skye already and it’s only been a day. Hopefully her proximity might mean we meet again . . . .
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'23 Adventures
January 2024
photosby Bobby ! |