In this month’s walk, Andrew Swift heads to Beckington for a seven-mile circular route taking in five distinctive villages, hidden churches, forgotten pubs and one of Somerset’s last surviving stretches of Roman road.
This month’s walk is a seven-mile ramble along quiet lanes and field paths, taking in five very different villages, a lost Roman road, some remarkable churches, a few lost pubs (and one or two open ones) and some of the most gloriously remote countryside in Somerset.
Most of the walk is straightforward, but there are a few things to be aware of. First – two busy road crossings, both in 30mph zones with good visibility in both directions. Second, a short stretch (100m) along a lane which can be busy. Finally, several paths towards the end which do not seem well walked. There are no actual obstacles, but waymarks may be hidden and stiles overgrown. Some of the one-step stiles along this stretch also need a degree of agility to negotiate.
The walk starts in Beckington, once an important centre for the wool trade, with many 16th and 17th century buildings, and some with medieval origins. The A36 once ran through Beckington, but the opening of a bypass in 1989 means that little traffic now passes through.
To get to Beckington by bus, take the D2, which runs roughly every hour from Bath Bus Station. If you come by car, parking is limited, but you should find spaces along Frome Road, west of the Woolpack Inn (ST800518; BA11 6SP).
Starting outside the Woolpack, head to the right of it, up Church Hill. Entering St George’s church, at the top, the immediate impression is one of loftiness and light, with high arches supporting elaborate roofs. The tower and other parts of the church are Norman, and its memorials include one to Samuel Daniel, a contemporary of Shakespeare, and one of the most celebrated poets of his age.
Leaving the churchyard, turn left past a row of cottages. A little further on, an ochre-coloured building comes into view. This is Beckington Castle, built in the early 17th century on the site of a medieval building. Through the gateway beside it you can see a 16th-century Wool Hall, which in the 1980s became a recording studio. Tears for Fears and Van Morrison are among the artists who have used it, and The Smiths recorded their final album here.
Head over the road past Springmead School. Emerging on Frome Road, cross and turn right past a 17th-century circular gazebo in the grounds of Beckington House. A little further on, turn left and follow the lane as it curves right by a former Baptist chapel, passing the former George Inn, still with a sign bracket and faded licensing details over the door.
Carry on down Frome Road and at the mini-roundabout, turn left along Bath Road. After 125m, turn right along Goose Street, which leads past the Foresters Arms. Just beyond it, No 49, on the left, dates from the 14th century. The Old House, a little further along, is 16th century.
As you leave Beckington, the lane leads under the A36. Carry on for another 700m and turn left, following a signpost for Rode and Trowbridge (ST811525). After 100m, go through a gap in the hedge on the right and follow a track across a field of barley (probably harvested by the time you read this). On your right, half hidden by barns, is Seymour Court, a 15th century manor house.
Carry on through two fields of peas. When you enter the third, follow a track across the field and continue north alongside the hedgerow. After 200m, cross a stile in the hedgerow and carry on to a KG leading onto a main road (ST809535). To give you a better view in both directions, turn left along the road for 25m before crossing.
Turn right past the Bell Inn – closed about nine years ago – and left down Church Lane. After 450m, turn second right along Nutts Lane to emerge on Rode village green. On the corner, at No 38, White Hart Cottage – another lost pub – dates from the 15th century. Rode was another centre of the woollen trade, and, as you turn left along the High Street, you pass house after house reflecting the wealth it generated.
The biggest surprise is the former redbrick brewery looming over the 17th century Cross Keys. Although the Cross Keys is still open, there are two more lost pubs along here – the Red Lion, opposite the brewery gates, at No 19, and the George at Nos 13 & 15.
At the end – opposite a former woollen mill known as the Old Button Factory – turn right along The Mead (ST802537). When the lane ends, carry straight on down a rough track (don’t go through the KG on the left). At the bottom, go through a KG and follow a waymark alongside the hedgerow. At the end, a stile leads to a footbridge across a culvert, beyond which a packhorse bridge – known as Scutt’s Bridge – crosses the River Frome (ST798539).
On the far side, continue in the same direction along an overgrown packhorse trail. At the end turn left along a lane – which may be busy, so care is needed until you reach a pavement 100m along on the right. As you enter the village of Woolverton, cross to follow a lane to the left of the Red Lion, which closed last year.
Cross the main road with care, turn left along the pavement and then right along a lane signposted to Laverton (ST791539). After 650m, carry on past a turning on the left. A little further on you come to a long abandoned crossroads – now not even a right of way, with a gate barring it to the north (ST784536). This is one of the few surviving stretches of the Roman Road from Bath to Poole.
After another 450m, when you come to a crossroads, turn left (signposted to Buckland Denham) into the tiny village of Laverton. Laverton House, which you pass on your right, was once the vicarage, while Manor Cottages, on the left, were originally a 17th-century manor house.
Head up a path to the tiny church of St Mary, a hidden gem, with a Norman doorway, Norman windows in its saddleback tower and an 18th-century clock mechanism ticking away in a glass case. Head to the right of the church, go through a gap in the churchyard wall, and head to the right of the barn ahead. Turn left through the farmyard, and, after passing an isolated handgate, turn right to follow a track curving through a narrow meadow.
Carry on across a farm track and continue on along the left-hand side of a field for 100m before crossing an overgrown stile in the hedgerow (ST778527). After crossing a ditch and another stile, turn right alongside the hedgerow.
Carry on through a wooded area to follow a rocky track which emerges in a large field, and carry straight on alongside the hedgerow for 300m. When you reach the corner go through a gap, head straight on to where a wooded area juts out into the field and, after passing it, carry on to the corner of the field and cross an overgrown stile (ST780521).
Head straight across a field, cross a plank bridge and another stile, turn right alongside the hedgerow and left along a gravel drive. At the end, cross a metal stile to turn right past 16th-century Lullington Court Farm. However keen you may be to press on, you should not forego visiting All Saints Church, a little further on, whose font and north doorway contain some magnificent Norman carving.
Carry on into Lullington village, largely restored by William Duckworth of Orchardleigh House, who bought it from the Longleat estate in 1855, and whose initials appear on several buildings. Turn left at the village pump to follow a lane leading past Lullington House – the old vicarage – and the battlemented lodge of Orchardleigh Park.
After passing more estate buildings, you come to Lullington Mill, just beyond which there is a superb view of the River Frome flowing over a weir. A little further on, a stile on the left leads to a stepped footbridge over the river (ST787515).
After negotiating a stile on the far side, turn left across another stile and follow a track directly across a field. To your left, you will see a pillbox, part of a defensive line from Highbridge to Bradford on Avon, created in 1940.
Cross a stile on the far side of the field, carry straight on and, after crossing another stile, follow a waymark to go through a gate on the right. From here, follow a waymark up to another gate and cross a stile beside it to follow a gloomy path under tall conifers (ST792515). Cross a stile at the end and continue along a lane to emerge on Frome Road in Beckington.
Distance: 7 miles
Map: The walk straddles OS Explorer Maps 142 & 143
Refreshments:
In Beckington: Mes Amis Cafe; Woolpack Inn; Foresters Arms.
In Rode: Cross Keys.
The D2 bus runs from Bath Bus Station to Beckington – it also serves Rode and Woolverton should you decide you want to cut the walk short.
Andrew Swift’s books on walking in around Bath can be found at www.akemanpress.com