The Quantock Hills lie west of Bridgwater in Somerset and extend 15 miles from Kingston St. Mary northwest to West Quantoxhead on the Bristol Channel.  The highest point is Wills Neck at 1261' (384m).  The whole area has been designated as the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  Although not of great height, the range provides good walking and is home to a resident herd of red deer as well as wild ponies that roam the tops.

This walk, starts at Lydeard Hill car park and takes in the ridge as far as Wills Neck before dropping down to Triscombe Stone and returning over Middle Hill back to the starting point.

The view from Lydeard Hill towards Exmoor in the far distance

Aisholt Common (pronounced Asholt)

Wills Neck in the distance, highest point on the Quantocks

Wills Neck is the highest point on The Quantocks (1261') and qualifies as a Marilyn

The view back to Lydeard Hill ...

... and a close-up shot

Snow on the distant Welsh hills across the Bristol Channel

Minehead in the distance. 
This is the start (or finish) of the South West Coast Path, which stretches from Minehead in the north 630 miles around to Poole on the south coast!
North Hill is the first steep climb on the way out of Minehead.  The white building at the foot of North Hill is Butlins!

Track leading off Wills Neck.  Ahead is Great Hill with the Ridgeway hidden by a belt of trees on the right.

Track leading down to the Ridgeway

On Middle Hill looking towards Lydeard Hill in the late afternoon light

Beattie finds a rather good stick to chew!

The path from Aisholt Common

Aisholt Common

Lydeard Hill

One of the ponies that live out on the hills ...

... and a group of stags we were lucky enough to see two days earlier

Lydeard Hill

Hinkley Point nuclear power station
The island is Steep Holm, once fortified in the nineteenth century against invasion, now a nature reserve and SSSI.

The Quantocks, lit up by the last rays of the sun.  In the foreground is the small village of Cothelstone.

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Comment from Lindsay
Hi Derek,
Just missed you! Sharon had to go back to Minehead to visit two children she has had adopted by a local couple on Monday, so I drove down with her and walked my now familiar route along the coast from Minehead to Blue Anchor. All three dogs enjoyed the beach. unfortunately for me, the adoption has now been finalised so no more excuses to go to Minehead. There is a little cafe at Blue Anchor called " The Driftwood " which does a good sandwich and cream tea. I almost got Sharon to drop me at one of the car parks on the road into Minehead so I could have a walk on the hills instead but I didn't have a map, and knowing my luck would have got lost!!  What a shame, Lindsay!  Next time we'll have to get ourselves properly organised! derek
 

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Photographs taken with a Fuji MX-2900 Zoom or a Canon EOS 20D
Copyright © 2009 Derek Cockell     All Rights Reserved