{"id":777,"date":"2014-05-24T02:06:26","date_gmt":"2014-05-24T01:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=777"},"modified":"2014-05-20T10:23:33","modified_gmt":"2014-05-20T09:23:33","slug":"compton-dundon-and-collard-hill-somerset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=777","title":{"rendered":"Compton Dundon and Collard Hill, Somerset"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A hot summer morning with a hard blue sky, the mid-Somerset hayfields already cut and dried, the hedges murmurous with bees and hover-flies. <script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.onload = setupZoom; function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=600,width=900,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('CollardHill.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=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7410\/14097569544_f5d701b9f9.jpg\" title='thistle head'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7410\/14097569544_f5d701b9f9_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7305\/14093905621_ab24f20a45.jpg\" title='Dundon Hill and Lollover Hill 2'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7305\/14093905621_ab24f20a45_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5497\/14093900941_7cbd2ac916.jpg\" title='stinging nettle flowers'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5497\/14093900941_7cbd2ac916_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7207\/14074015806_0d7480c480.jpg\" title='Hood monument on Collard Hill'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7207\/14074015806_0d7480c480_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5540\/13910476357_77aea10a57.jpg\" title='Glastonbury Tor from west'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5540\/13910476357_77aea10a57_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7198\/13910472327_2bfe0c3182.jpg\" title='Dundon Beacon and Lollover Hill from Collard Hill'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7198\/13910472327_2bfe0c3182_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2939\/14097545194_1d43b64283.jpg\" title='view from Lollover Hill'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2939\/14097545194_1d43b64283_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7393\/13910500900_e668e71554.jpg\" title='bee orchid on Collard Hill'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7393\/13910500900_e668e71554_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2921\/13910461467_20ce86c1d7.jpg\" title='Looking towards St Andrew&#039;s Church, Dundon'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2921\/13910461467_20ce86c1d7_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2906\/14093879221_ba8ce8fde3.jpg\" title='Great Yew in St Andrew&#039;s churchyard, Dundon'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2906\/14093879221_ba8ce8fde3_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5225\/14093983002_4aef168181.jpg\" title='cart track on Dundon Hill'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5225\/14093983002_4aef168181_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7456\/14093870471_c6d7e9a4ac.jpg\" title='summit of Lollover Hill'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.static.flickr.com\/7456\/14093870471_c6d7e9a4ac_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2895\/14097522864_cf42d7d8c6.jpg\" title='view north over the Levels from Lollover Hill'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2895\/14097522864_cf42d7d8c6_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2924\/14097518164_6e2500f6cb.jpg\" title='looking towards Dundon Hill from Lollover Hill 1'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2924\/14097518164_6e2500f6cb_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5501\/14097512414_be57d34861.jpg\" title='looking towards Dundon Hill from Lollover Hill 2'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5501\/14097512414_be57d34861_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5105\/13910429207_f785e3db26.jpg\" title='path through the Reserve on Collard Hill'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5105\/13910429207_f785e3db26_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=777\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" width=\"200\" colorscheme=\"dark\"><\/fb:like><br \/>\nThe view from the steep slopes of Collard Hill was sensational &#8211; Glastonbury Tor to the north, Dundon Hill and Lollover Hill out to the south-west, yellow-green pastures spread out and shimmering in the heat of afternoon. I followed the ridge path west to where the Hood Monument\u2019s sailing-ship crown rose above the trees on Windmill Hill. Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood was one of those energetic, apparently fearless sailors who came to glory in Nelson\u2019s Navy, and when he died in 1814 his brother officers raised the great column to his memory. <\/p>\n<p>Down in Dundon churchyard I sat a while in the dense shade of a great yew tree, as thick as ten men belted together, far older than the ancient church it dominates. Then I struck out on the old cart track that loops round Lollover Hill. By the time I had made the circuit and got down into the flatlands north of Dundon, everything far and near seemed quivering in the radiance of reflected sunlight \u2013 cattle, ditches, hedgerow oaks, and the long dark whaleback of Collard Hill lying across the landscape to the north.<\/p>\n<p>The wardens who welcome visitors to the National Trust\u2019s Collard Hill Nature Reserve really know their stuff. I was lucky enough to stroll round with Matthew Oates, the Trust\u2019s very own \u2018Butterfly Man\u2019, as he expounded the story of the Large Blue butterfly, a creature whose existence relies on cutting a deal with the red ant species myrmica sabuleti. The ants take the caterpillar to their nest, where they feed on a sticky juice it exudes; in return \u2013 notwithstanding this huge guest\u2019s appetite for their own eggs and larvae \u2013 they look after it until it emerges from its chrysalis. They escort the brand-new Large Blue butterfly above ground, and wait for its wings to harden into flight before they part from it. <\/p>\n<p>Small wonder the Large Blue\u2019s existence is precarious. By 1979 it had become extinct in UK, but has been successfully reintroduced at Collard Hill and a handful of other places. I\u2019d always longed to see one of these large and brilliantly blue butterflies, and it was a fantastic thrill when one flitted across the slope of thyme and scabious \u2013 big, blue and beautiful, as it wrangled with a common blue and then fluttered off and out of sight.<\/p>\n<p>Start &#038; finish: NT car park, Street Youth Hostel, Marshall\u2019s Hill, Somerset BA16 0TZ (OS ref ST 488340)<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Bus \u2013 Service 377 (firstgroup.com) Yeovil-Wells, to Marshalls Elm crossroads. Road \u2013 B3151 Street-Somerton road; right at Marshalls Elm crossroads to car park.<\/p>\n<p>Walk (7\u00bd miles, easy, OS Explorer 141): From the NT car park, follow blue-topped posts; cross B3151 at Marshall\u2019s Elm crossroads (485344; NB dangerous crossing \u2013 please take great care!). Through kissing gate opposite; follow Polden Way\/PW (blue-topped posts) or other footpaths through Collard Hill Nature Reserve. At far side, make for NE (top left) corner of reserve by a prominent, solo oak tree (490339); follow track uphill; in 100m, right (KG, PW) to leave reserve. In \u00bc mile cross road (494339); through KG opposite (PW) into trees. In 70m path forks; both lead to Hood Monument (496338). <\/p>\n<p>From SE corner of monument, follow clear path west through trees. In 150m go through KG (497337; PW). Don\u2019t continue to road, but go sharp right downhill on stony path to turn left along road (495337). In \u00bc mile road forks; bear right to T-junction (493334). Left along Compton Street; in 50m, right beside East Barn; on through wicket gate and across following stile. Ahead along field edge. In 100m cross ditch (490334); half-left across field to cross pair of stiles in far corner (489333; YA). Cross field to B3151 beside house (488332). Right for 50m; left over stile (\u2018Hurst Drove\u2019 waymark post). Ahead up field edge to go through gate (486332); left along 3 field edges with hedge on left. At end of 3rd field (487329), left along track to road; left to B3151 (489328); right past Castlebrook Inn (closed at time of writing \u2013 due to reopen summer 2014).<\/p>\n<p>In 100m pass gate marked \u2018Castlebrook Holiday Cottages\u2019; in another 30m, right through hedge and kissing gate\/KG. Follow path west for \u00bd mile along field edges. At end of 4th field, through KG (482325) and on along paved lane to road in Dundon (480325). <\/p>\n<p>Left for 50m; just past foot of lane to church, right (\u2018Lollover Hill\u2019, yellow arrow\/YA) up hedged path. In 100m, up steps; left (478325); in 150m, right (478323; \u2018Hayes Lane\u2019) along stony lane. In \u2153 mile it starts to descend (473322); in another 250m, where it bends left, go right over stile (471321; YA). Aim up field, parallel to hedge; over stile on far side (468320); right along hedge, right through gate at field end (468322; YA); left along hedge and follow it for 2 fields. At top of rise, cross 2 adjacent stiles (473325); on along green lane. In \u2153 mile it descends to bend right; in another 30m, right down steps (478325) to return to road in Dundon (479324). <\/p>\n<p>Left and follow road to foot of hill; cross (480327) into Hurst Drove. Pass Hurst Farm and continue. In 300m, just beyond gate into Lower Hurst Farm, left over stile (481335; YA); right along hedge; in 100m, right over stile, left along hedge (YA); in 100m, left over adjacent stiles (480337, YA) and right along hedge. At top of field, cross stile (480340; fingerpost) and on up hedged lane to road by gates of Ivythorn Manor (481342). Follow lane up Page\u2019s Hill to Marshall\u2019s Elm crossroads and car park. <\/p>\n<p>Click on Facebook &#8220;Like&#8221; link to share this walk with Facebook friends.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch: Picnic. NB: Castlebrook Inn, Compton Dundon, currently closed \u2013 due to reopen shortly<\/p>\n<p>Collard Hill Nature Reserve (NT): <a href=\"http:\/\/nationaltrust.org.uk\">nationaltrust.org.uk<\/a>; Large Blue blog &#8211;  <a href=\"http:\/\/ntlargeblue.wordpress.com\/\">http:\/\/ntlargeblue.wordpress.com\/<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/wildlifeextra.com\/go\/uk\/collard-hill\">wildlifeextra.com\/go\/uk\/collard-hill<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Large blue flight season: Generally early June-mid July (check website!)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitengland.com\">visitengland.com<\/a> <A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.satmap.com\/\">www.satmap.com<\/A> <A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.LogMyTrip.co.uk\/\">www.LogMyTrip.co.uk<\/A><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A hot summer morning with a hard blue sky, the mid-Somerset hayfields already cut and dried, the hedges murmurous with bees and hover-flies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-777","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":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777","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=777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}