One day after an orienteering exercise at Ashton Court in Bristol, there was an off-the-book-but-on-Facebook walk organised that I was invited to join.
It would begin in the village of Wellow, a few miles south of Bath… You’re possibly already familiar with that name because I’d been pre-walking routes in the same area!
Wellow. A North East Somerset village that I seem to be visiting quite frequently. Before writing this post, I’ve already returned once this year and have plans to revisit the area on a group walk next month.
Post-My Black Mountains Triumph, this was a point where I saw an opportunity to cram in the miles and possibly get very close to the one-thousand miles mark. But primarily, this was going to be a pre-walk in order to investigate a few different footpaths and hopefully confirm a complete circuit for February.
So, there was no marker, monument or statue to denote the end of the Two Rivers Way… I’d read in advanced that it finishes at the A4 Bristol-to-Bath road, where the Community Forest Path (about fifty miles) begins.
More pressingly, I needed to get back to my car and I was a good couple of hours away with some ‘urbanised’ walking to follow immediately.
I do hope that everyone reading this has had and is still enjoying a good Christmas. I also hope that you are able to get outdoors, as well as spending time with family and friends.
This walk can be found in the Walk West eBooks and is Part 1 in a series of two, following the original course of the now disused Somerset Coal Canal.
With the canal tow-path portion of the Circuit of Bath walk ending at the visitor centre, I could continued my walking towards Limpley Stoke.
Still, with thoughts of an imminent lunch-stop in mind… If only, I could find the perfect place.
Chew Valley Lake is a large reservoir in North East Somerset, with a circumference between eight and nine miles. It is the largest man-made lake in the south-west of England and one of the largest in the UK.
For a time, I’d been wondering about how accessible the water’s edge would be; already knowing that you can walk close to parts of it along the south, north and western edges… In a spare afternoon that would turn in to an evening, I allowed myself a few hours to attempt to walk the full circuit and find out.
This was the weekend prior to my Cornwall trip. With little motivation to get up early on the Saturday, I still felt as though I should attempt something in preparation for the undulations of coastal walking to follow in seven-days’ time.
Almost a year since my first visit to Wellow, I decided I would head out there again. Mileage would not reach double-figures but, in the space of an afternoon, I’d get some exercise and might also be able to create another walk for the Bristol-based Ramblers group.
In an effort to explore a little more of the Two Rivers Way, I spent last Saturday on another walk not too far from home (less than a thirty-minute drive).
It begins at Chew Valley Lake, where I was relieved to find that parking at the northern-most area was free – although, a new tariff (£2 per day) comes in to force from this Easter weekend.
