Frome Valley Walkway
Route Details
Length
4.5 Miles approx
Terrain
footpaths, fields - can be quite muddy.
It was just a short walk today as the weather had not been particularly great. Two ramblers again as Mark was unable to make it. Me and Nigel started our trek at the Golden Heart pub just off from the A432. It was a bit windy but clear so we hoped it would remain dry. We headed down the road to Damsons Bridge and took the footpath right. We followed the path as it tailed alongside the river Frome.
It was quite a pleasant walk through the trees although I was starting to regret the footwear I had chosen. Being a short journey and most of it on pavement I opted for my approach shoes instead of my walking boots. This would have been ok if the path we were currently on was not muddy. Looking at the foliage and tree trunks around us is it was apparent that the water level had recently risen well beyond the path. I recommend that if you are doing this stretch of walk that you do it in summer or at least after a sunny spell.
The Frome Valley walk is around 20 miles long should you wish to do the full length but on this occasions we just wanted to sample a bit of it. I personally would like to do the full length at some point as I reckon in the summer months it will be quite a stunning trek. We were starting to approach the huge Viaduct. I see this structure from the road as I travel to work and I have often wondered if there was a way to get up close to it.
As we got to the base of the Viaduct the river was broken up by large rocks as it cascaded over them beneath the huge arches. We both stood in awe of the thing it was a magnificent structure and stood testament to solid engineering of a bygone day. We passed a disused quarry (Huckford) which was probably were they got the stone from to build the Viaduct. This is now a nature reserve boasting many varieties of birds. We passed under the Viaduct and crossed another smaller bridge which lead us round through some trees and over another bridge, we were back on the walkway following the river.
We headed on through the fields as the river wondered on through the valley. It seemed quite strange that this area of untouched countryside was between the hustle and bustle of streets and housing developments. We neared Watley's End which meant nothing to us but whatever it was it ended there. We took a footpath that lead us back to concrete and the road back. We were in all fairness relieved to be on firmer ground as we were quite muddy by this point. We sauntered back along the road side to Ivory Hill farm taking a right back to the car park of the pub.