{"id":417,"date":"2011-10-08T00:52:16","date_gmt":"2011-10-08T00:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=417"},"modified":"2011-10-11T07:36:20","modified_gmt":"2011-10-11T07:36:20","slug":"panborough-and-westhay-moor-somerset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=417","title":{"rendered":"Panborough and Westhay Moor, Somerset"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nothing glows like the skin of a nice ripe cider apple \u2013 unless it&#8217;s the cheeks of a nice ripe cider drinker.<br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.onload = setupZoom; function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk;\nvar walkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=700,width=800,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script>First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('Panborough.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><\/script><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6156\/6174703991_f492b8656f.jpg\" title='the ridge from North Chine Drove'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6156\/6174703991_f492b8656f_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6162\/6174706967_79a0006f92.jpg\" title='Megan investigates Dagg&#039;s Lane Drove'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6162\/6174706967_79a0006f92_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6177\/6174708659_da7d92d034.jpg\" title='view from Viridor Hide, Westhay Moor Nature Reserve 1'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6177\/6174708659_da7d92d034_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6176\/6174712079_9b6d536744.jpg\" title='starling sculpture, Westhay Moor'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6176\/6174712079_9b6d536744_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6158\/6174714231_d8d8b82cbe.jpg\" title='burdock'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6158\/6174714231_d8d8b82cbe_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6167\/6174719791_1661fa775c.jpg\" title='peat lagoon, Westhay Moor 2'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6167\/6174719791_1661fa775c_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6152\/6174721971_41083c133e.jpg\" title='Parson&#039;s Drove and rainbow'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6152\/6174721971_41083c133e_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6175\/6175257370_da7a8d3396.jpg\" title='apples - ready to pick'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6175\/6175257370_da7a8d3396_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nFacebook Link: <script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=417\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" width=\"200\" colorscheme=\"dark\"><\/fb:like><br \/>\nYou\u2019re likely to meet your fair share of both on the Somerset Levels around this time of year, when the windfalls are lying on the ground and so are unwary samplers of the fruit of the orchard. <\/p>\n<p>My friends Alan and Joy have the best of both worlds when it comes to views from their house on the ridge in Panborough village \u2013 the long green whaleback of Mendip rising on the north, and a few steps to the south a glorious prospect over the Levels, great flat grazing moors dented with old flooded peat diggings, bristly with reedbeds, their meadows divided by watery ditches known as rhynes. Down on the moors we found Dagg\u2019s Lane Drove and walked its puddled course south over Westhay Moor in a tunnel of willows, while Megan the sheepdog went bouncing after sticks in the lush grass verges.<\/p>\n<p>Centuries of peat digging have provided Westhay Moor with exactly what wild birds need \u2013 open fleets of sheltered water, wet alder woods, reedbeds to hide and nest in, seeds and insects to feed on. We were here a little too early in the afternoon to witness Westhay\u2019s most famous spectacle, the dusk sky dance of a million wintering starlings which floats a thickening and lengthening veil of densely packed birds across half the sky. But from one of the hides we watched a mysterious large bird \u2013 not a great northern diver, not a great crested grebe \u2013 splashing and diving, lone lord of its reedy pool. A slight movement beyond a screen of alder boughs, and five well-grown cygnets with their parent swans sailed gracefully out of sight. <\/p>\n<p>Turning back up Parson\u2019s Drove, we watched a leaden block of rain marching east across the Levels, with a most brilliant rainbow stamped in a perfect arc across it. Such moments mark a walk indelibly in the memory.<\/p>\n<p>Up on the ridge again we followed the lane through Mudgley, past Land\u2019s End and Wilkins\u2019s cider farm. I\u2019ve spent a few drowsy afternoons in that fragrant dark cider shed watching Roger Wilkins draw a drop of sweet, a drop of dry from his barrels, blending them into a nectar to suit one\u2019s particular palate. Temptation? You just bet. But Roger must have been elsewhere this evening. We walked on, vowing to return, heading along the sloping fields towards home, with the Levels glinting below and Glastonbury Tor intensely sunlit on the south-west horizon, washed in pure cidrous gold, a Somerset Shangri-la.<\/p>\n<p>Start &#038; finish: Panborough Inn, Panborough, near Wedmore, Somerset BA5 1PN (OS ref ST 471456)<br \/>\nGetting there: Bus (www.webberbus.com) Service 670 (Wells to Burnham-on-Sea). Road: On B3139 between Wells and Wedmore.<br \/>\nWalk (6\u00bd miles, easy grade, OS Explorer 141): From Pan borough Inn, right up B3139 for 100m (careful! blind bend!). Hairpin back left up drive; bear right by house (yellow arrow\/YA) along farm road. In 250m, through gate (469457); left (YA) to bottom of field. Right over stile by trough (468456; YA); keep hedge on left, cross next stile; left to cross footbridge (467455); aim halfway along end of next field for stile into North Chine Drove (466454). Right for \u2153 mile; left (461454; blue arrow\/BA) down Dagg\u2019s Lane Drove. Cross North Drain (459448); in another \u00bd mile, right (457440) past Viridor Hide on grass path for \u00bd mile to London Drove (450437). Left to road (448432); right for \u2153 mile past Peacock Farm; next right up Parson\u2019s Drove (442432; \u2018restricted byway\u2019) for 1\u00bc miles to North Chine Drove (449451).<br \/>\nLeft for 300m; right through metal walkers\u2019 gate (445450, YA). Follow field edge, over footbridge (446453), right through gate in hedge; left up hedge for 3 fields (YA) to road (446456). Right through Mudgley for \u00bd mile. Just past Wilkins\u2019s cider farm on right (454456), left (YA, \u2018Moor View Cottage\u2019) up path. In 150m, right over stile (454458). On into dip ahead; follow same contour of hill with hedge on left for \u2153 mile. Near Batch Farm, take right-hand (lower) of 2 gates (459458, YA). Cross field to Dagg\u2019s Lane. Left up lane; opposite farm (460458), right over stile. Follow hedge to next stile, and follow field hedge to lane (464458). Forward past houses; left at end (465458, YA) up old lane, which soon bends right and downhill; but keep ahead (level) here on green lane (watch your step! some holes!) for \u2153 mile back to Panborough Inn.<br \/>\nNB Online map, more walks: www.christophersomerville.co.uk. Click on Facebook &#8220;Like&#8221; link to share this walk with Facebook friends.<br \/>\nLunch: Panborough Inn: 01934-712554; www.panboroughinn.co.uk<br \/>\nWilkins\u2019s Cider Farm, Mudgley, BS28 4TU (01934-712385; www.wilkinscider.com): 10-8 Mon-Sat, 10-1 Sun.<br \/>\nWesthay Moor Nature Reserve: http:\/\/www.somersetwildlife.org\/westhay_moor.html<br \/>\nMore info: Wells TIC (01749-671770); <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitsomerset.co.uk\">www.visitsomerset.co.uk<\/a><br \/>\n<FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.ramblers.org.uk\/\">www.ramblers.org.uk<\/A><\/U><\/FONT> <FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.satmap.com\/\">www.satmap.com<\/A><\/U><\/FONT><br \/>\n<FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.LogMyTrip.co.uk\/\">www.LogMyTrip.co.uk<\/A><\/U><\/FONT><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nothing glows like the skin of a nice ripe cider apple &#8211; unless it&#8217;s the cheeks of a nice ripe cider drinker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}