Wellow Circular (Timsbury Walk 9)

1 STATION ROAD CAR PARK
From the car park walk back down the road and continue past the rear of the old station on your right. Follow Station Road to reach a T-junction with The High Street. Turn right and walk along The High Street towards the Fox and Badger pub. Turn right and walk down the side of the pub down Railway Lane, passing the former fuller’s earth works on the left and steam mill on the right.

At the end of the lane continue straight on, keeping the signal box on your left, down the footpath ahead. Ignore the footpath going off to the right and continue on beside the stone wall. Turn left before the bridge, but do take a look at the ford. Cross the lane and go through the metal kissing gate beside a metal field gate which is a head of you. Keep the wire fence on your left as you continue down the field. Note the railway bridge to your left as you walk down the field. Go through a metal kissing gate beside a metal field gate.

Continue in the same direction to a Bristol Gate and stables and farm buildings ahead. Continue straight ahead through the farm buildings and then through another Bristol Gate. Continue in the same direction with a wooden shelter on your left and then go through another Bristol Gate into the next field. Bear right and take the kissing gate on the right before the Bristol Gate. Go through the gate and over the bridge over the Wellow Brook.

2 THE WELLOW BROOK
Go through the kissing gate at the end of the bridge and into the field. Turn left and walk slightly right up the hill and through a small metal gate in the fence. Continue in the same direction to a metal kissing gate in the right-hand hedge line. Go through and follow the right-hand hedge and then through the metal kissing gate into the lane opposite the entrance to Wellow Farm.

Turn left and walk along this lane for 450 yards until you reach the second double wooden field gates on the left. Go through the gap in the hedge opposite on the right-hand side of the lane. Follow the track up the field; a grassy track goes left. Follow this with the fence on your right until you reach a metal field gate in the right fence line.

Go through the gate into the next field. Turn left; walk with the fence on your left towards the three trees on the skyline. Go through the bridle gate in the hedge on the left and, soon after, through the next one. Keep the hedge and fence line on your left as you walk across this field to reach a metal field gate. Go out onto a track; turn left and walk down. The track bends to the right and you cross a metal bridge over the Norton Brook.

3 NORTON BROOK
Continue up to the quiet Norton Lane and turn left. Walk for 100 yards and then go through the metal kissing gate on the right taking you into Cleaves Wood. Follow the direction of the footpath arrow to the left to reach a T-junction of paths. Again, follow the footpath arrow left. On reaching a fork of paths, take the right-hand path up the hill. At the top
of the path, go through the left-hand kissing gate and then walk along the track. The track widens out, but continue along passing Hinton Farm on your right. The path narrows again, but continue on in the same direction. Ignore a gate and stone stile on your left. The path comes out into a quiet road, which is Tuggy’s Lane. Continue in the same direction towards the centre of the village of Hinton Charterhouse, passing Tuggy’s Cottage on your left, to reach a T-junction. Turn left to reach the post office on your left and The Rose and Crown on the opposite side of the road.

4 HINTON CHARTERHOUSE
Continue past the post office and walk along the pavement to reach The Stag Inn on your left. Turn left, signposted Wellow, and then immediately right following the public bridleway sign. Ignore footpaths going left and right and continue down this very quiet lane until you reach the bottom of the lane where there is a house in front of you, which is Lower Tytherly Farm. Go to the right of the farm, down what appears to be the drive, until you reach a bridle gate into a field. After the bridle gate, turn right passing the garden of the house and then following the hedge line down the field and a quiet valley. Keep the hedge on your right.

Go through two further bridle gates and continue as before, keeping the hedge on your right. The path bends round left away from the trees. Continue as the field narrows to reach a bridle gate. Go through and turn right over the wooden bridge. Then turn left. following the bridleway arrow, keeping the brook on your left.

At the private fishing sign on the tree at the end of the path, turn left over the wooden bridge in woodland, which is Twinhoeford Wood. Then turn right and left over the next bridge, which is over the Wellow Brook. Go through the bridle gate and turn right. Keep the edge of the field on your right until you reach two gates one with a notice saying no public right of way. Look right to see a World War II pillbox close to the river.

5 WELLOW BOOK
Go straight ahead through the wide bridle gate and walk up the gravel track, turning right then left to go under the Somerset and Dorset Railway Bridge. Walk up the track. Where the track bears right, turn left onto a sign-posted green track which becomes a narrow path between hedges.

Continue upwards with a field on your right and trees on your left. Look left to have a view of the Two Tunnels Circuit which runs on the former Somerset and Dorset Railway. The path continues upwards in a sunken gulley. The path climbs to the same level as the field. There is a wide gap in the hedge ahead. Go through and walk diagonally right across the field, aiming to the right of buildings ahead, to a wooden kissing gate. As you cross the field, pause and turn around to enjoy good views south to Hinton Charterhouse.

Go through the gate and continue ahead past Middle Twinhoe Farm and Barn. This area is on the southern edge of the Cotswolds National Landscape (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

6 MIDDLE TWINHOE BARN
Continue past the buildings and go through a wide wooden field gate. After the gate, turn right along the drive. When the drive bends round to the right, go through a wooden kissing gate on the left. Walk ahead keeping the hedge on your right.

When you reach the corner of the field there is a wooden kissing gate to the right of a wooden field gate. Go through and turn left keeping the hedge on your left. Look to your right for good views towards the southern slopes of Bath. When the hedge turns to the left, bear slightly right aiming to the left of a clump of trees ahead. Go through a wide gap in the hedge to the left of the trees.

Continue in the same direction to reach a metal kissing gate which comes out onto a quiet lane. Turn left and walk 10 yards and then go left through a Bristol Gate. Walk ahead keeping the hedge on your left. When the hedge bends to the left continue in the same direction following the footpath post arrow. As you cross the field there are wide-ranging views ahead up the Wellow Brook valley. Further on the tower of the Church of St Julian in Wellow comes into view.

Continue ahead aiming for the church tower to reach a metal kissing gate. Drop down through the trees to reach a disused metal kissing gate. Walk ahead across the field still aiming for the church tower. Drop down through trees to reach another metal kissing gate. After the gate keep the trees on your left and the wire fence on the right. You reach a grassy area; follow the grassy area keeping the wire fence on your right. This marks the line of the Somersetshire Coal Canal.

The path bends round to the left and joins a grassy track. On the right is the site of St Julian’s Well. Continue ahead to reach a metal kissing gate on the right of a wooden field gate. Go through the kissing gate and walk straight ahead to a pair of metal kissing gates. Take the left-hand metal kissing gate and walk ahead keeping the stone wall on your right to reach a Bristol Gate. Go through and walk down the track to a metal gate on the right before the T-junction. Go through the gate, walk past the entrance to Church of St Julian and through gates to a raised path.

Continue to reach a crossroads with Wellow Primary School and former Schoolmaster’s House on your left. Continue straight ahead to reach the Fox and Badger pub on the left. Continue on to reach Station Road on your left and the car park where you started the walk.

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