{"id":2595,"date":"2023-02-11T03:50:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-11T02:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2595"},"modified":"2023-02-07T17:13:15","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T16:13:15","slug":"ham-hill-montacute-somerset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2595","title":{"rendered":"Ham Hill &#038; Montacute, Somerset"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1220,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('Montacute.gpx');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958551_334c4a5193_z.jpg\" title= \"Looking north over Montacute from Hollow Lane footpath 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958551_334c4a5193_s.jpg\" alt=\"Looking north over Montacute from Hollow Lane footpath 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52657455443_55dac5b82a_z.jpg\" title= \"Liberty Trail descends a ferny holloway\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52657455443_55dac5b82a_s.jpg\" alt=\"Liberty Trail descends a ferny holloway\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656473267_881d3f09c3_z.jpg\" title= \"Willows along the Witcombe Valley brook 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656473267_881d3f09c3_s.jpg\" alt=\"Willows along the Witcombe Valley brook 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958556_6c8f02e603_z.jpg\" title= \"Looking north over Montacute from Hollow Lane footpath 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958556_6c8f02e603_s.jpg\" alt=\"Looking north over Montacute from Hollow Lane footpath 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656473257_8e0d191eec_z.jpg\" title= \"lumps and bumps of abandoned medieval village of Witcombe\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656473257_8e0d191eec_s.jpg\" alt=\"lumps and bumps of abandoned medieval village of Witcombe\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958516_7b8b1b831f_z.jpg\" title= \"Looking north over Montacute from Hollow Lane footpath 3\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958516_7b8b1b831f_s.jpg\" alt=\"Looking north over Montacute from Hollow Lane footpath 3\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656473232_4a50b1d166_z.jpg\" title= \"GV of wintry country from Ham Hill\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656473232_4a50b1d166_s.jpg\" alt=\"GV of wintry country from Ham Hill\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52657241604_c866729c71_z.jpg\" title= \"folly tower on St Michael's Hill\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52657241604_c866729c71_s.jpg\" alt=\"folly tower on St Michael's Hill\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958366_4c2a9937cd_z.jpg\" title= \"Willows along the Witcombe Valley brook 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958366_4c2a9937cd_s.jpg\" alt=\"Willows along the Witcombe Valley brook 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958316_1100fc555c_z.jpg\" title= \"Witcombe Valley\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52656958316_1100fc555c_s.jpg\" alt=\"Witcombe Valley\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2595','pwin','height=700,width=1000,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe Celtic tribe known as the Durotriges were expert builders of hilltop forts. The stronghold they  dug and mounded on Ham Hill is a remarkable structure. It encompasses more than two hundred acres of south Somerset hilltop within a huge L-shaped enclosure of steep-sided double ramparts. On this windy winter morning the views were sensational, taking in dozens of miles of low-lying farmland bounded by blue and grey hill ranges \u2013 Mendip, Blackdown, Quantock and the Dorset downs. The local sandy limestone, known as hamstone, is a glorious deep gold, much prized by builders down the centuries.<\/p>\n<p>A hungry buzzard wheeled and mewed overhead as I followed the brambly ramparts south off the hill through lumps and delvings of many centuries of quarrying. At the foot of the ridge lay the quiet green valley of Witcombe, where mown paths led north again past the grassy outlines of a medieval village, abandoned when sheep farming became more profitable to landlords than the arable husbandry of the peasants.<\/p>\n<p>On the far side of the ridge I found a path edged with emerging daffodils. Last autumn\u2019s beechmast crackled underfoot as I dropped downhill towards Montacute. The village lay below in clear wintry sunshine, a perfect composition, church tower, cottages and great Elizabethan mansion all glowing in golden hamstone.<\/p>\n<p>A quick pint of Palmers and a bowl of leek-and-potato soup in the conversational, dog-friendly Phelips Arms, and I made for the tree-smothered tump of St Michael\u2019s Hill beyond the handsome old Cluniac priory gatehouse on the western edge of Montacute.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Mons Acutus, Mont Aigu\u2019 \u2013 the abrupt profile of the hill gave its name to the village. Legend says that the Devil appeared in a dream to Tostig, standard bearer to King Cnut, ordering him to dig on the hill. A blacksmith was told to get on with it, and promptly unearthed a life-size crucifix of pure black flint.<\/p>\n<p>The Norman castle built on the summit was replaced by a chapel, itself supplanted in 1760 by a phallic folly tower of hamstone. I climbed the steep holloway to the summit and got a memorable prospect over sunlit lands where Blakean shafts of rain radiated out of the clouds as though to spotlight hidden treasure below in the gleaming floods of winter.<\/p>\n<p>How hard is it? 5 miles; easy, but steep climb up St Michael\u2019s Hill<\/p>\n<p>Start: Ham Hill Country Park, near Stoke-sub-Hamdon TA14 6RL (OS ref. ST479168)<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Country Park signed from Stoke-sub-Hamdon (signed off A303 between Ilchester and Ilminster)<\/p>\n<p>Walk (OS Explorer 129): Return to road. Left; pass right fork (478166); in 100m right to fingerpost (\u2018Monarch\u2019s Way\u2019\/MW); left, following uppermost path (MW) for \u00be mile to T-junction (485159). Right downhill (\u2018Liberty Trail\u2019). Near bottom, left (486154, \u2018Witcombe Lane\u2019); up valley; across road (492163). Follow footpath (fingerpost) above Hollow Lane; in 500m left along Hollow Lane (497166) into Montacute. Left down South Street (499168); at church and King\u2019s Head PH, left (497169). Through gate; right (\u2018Hedgecock Hill\u2019); follow MW up St Michael\u2019s Hill. In 200m fork right (494168); in 50m right through gate; left up steep holloway, then path to summit tower (494169). Return down path; at purple arrow fork right; path descends to field. Ahead; in 100m sharp left (494170, purple arrows) downhill. Through gate; keep ahead; left beside stream. In 200m right (491169, stile, MW); in 30m left; follow track. In 250m, gate onto open ground (489169). Follow wood edge; in 700m right (481166, gate); right past circular stone; fork left on MW to car park.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch\/accommodation: Phelips Arms, Montacute TA15 6XB (01935-822557, <a href=\"http:\/\/phelipsarms.co.uk\">phelipsarms.co.uk<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Info: <a href=\"http:\/\/friendsofhamhill.org\">friendsofhamhill.org<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/visitsouthsomerset.com\">visitsouthsomerset.com<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/nationaltrust.org.uk\/montacute\">nationaltrust.org.uk\/montacute<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Celtic tribe known as the Durotriges were expert builders of hilltop forts. The stronghold they  dug and mounded on Ham Hill is a remarkable structure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}