Walk leader: James Dudbridge
Fourteen Amblers enjoyed a lovely walk on a mild and sunny spring morning.
Eleven of us set off, with three others joining us later.
From the Compton Inn at Compton Dando, we headed up towards St Mary’s Church. Passing through the churchyard, we crossed the river Chew and entered Park Copse Wood. A steep climb through the woods revealed a striking display of flowering wild garlic and bluebells.
We soon reached Woollard, passing the Alpacas at Bell Farm.
Whilst in Woollard, we viewed a flood plaque on one of the cottages. The plaque commemorates the River Chew floods. Heavy rainfall caused widespread destruction across the area in July 1968.
Following the River Chew, we walked to The Church of All Saints in Publow where we stopped for a short break. Acker Bilk, the famous Jazz clarinetist, was buried here in 2014. Acker Bilk’s most famous song, ‘Stranger on the Shore’, became the 1962’s biggest selling single in the UK, kept off the top spot by Cliff Richard’s ‘The Young Ones’.
Leaving Publow, we walked south towards Lord’s Wood, with a view of the Pensford viaduct to the west.
From Lords Wood we descended towards Compton Dando via Allen’s Brake, a small wood, before returning to Compton Dando. Once back in the village a number of the group visited the Compton Inn for lunch and a welcome drink.
A very enjoyable walk.
