Autumn Walking Weekend in Wells, Somerset Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd October 2017
Twenty-eight of us spent a most enjoyable weekend in Wells in another superbly organised weekend by Sue and Gordon. Rather like the swans seemingly effortlessly gliding around the moat at the Bishops Palace in Wells, the weekend was the result of several visits to Wells by Sue and Gordon in their own valuable time and of much preparation and research into the three walks they had planned for us, all this enabled the weekend to go ahead smoothly. Gordon seemed to know the answer to all our questions, whether it was recommending shops in Wells, buying lunch or the studying the bus timetables from Dinder to Wells.
We stayed at The Swan Hotel, an old listed coaching inn right in the centre of Wells, near to the market, shops and Wells Cathedral in Sadler Street. The accommodation, service within the hotel and food were all excellent. We travelled down to Wells arriving at The Swan at lunch time, found our rooms, unpacked and assembled in walking gear at 2pm for a walk of 4.75 miles led by Sue and Gordon giving a brief introduction to the city and a short country ramble. This introduced us to the many stiles which are found around there. Our tour passed the moated home of the Bishops of Bath and Wells for the past 800 years where we saw the bell below a low window onto the moat which the swans have learnt to ring for food. On our return we then enjoyed dinner after which we met for a briefing on the next day.
Oct 17. Wells PVR walking w/end
Saturday’s weather forecast was not promising, the famous Wells market was cancelled as a precaution as “Storm Brian” was forecast. For our main walk on Saturday we met with the local Mendip Ramblers who led the two walks on offer, a 6 mile or a 9 mile walk. After breakfast we assembled at the Bishops Barn next to the Bishops Palace at 10:30am when our local Walk Leaders introduced themselves and explained the two walks on offer. We all left Wells in one group and very shortly we entered some woods where we were walking at times on a steep-sided slope before emerging into open country, with hills and across ploughed fields. After walking for about 3 miles the groups separated into the longer and shorter walks each with their own leader. The weather worsened with wind and rain caused by the storm which swept across the south-west and meant that in most cases our waterproofs and boots got covered in a reddish chocolate coloured mud that required removal when we returned to our hotel rooms. In spite of the wet and the sometimes difficult terrain I think we all enjoyed walking in the Mendips.
Saturday was also the final day of the Wells Literary Festival and a number of the group went along to hear famous authors talking about their books and signing copies; others visited the beautiful Wells Cathedral
Oct 17. Wells PVR walking w/end
and its surroundings while a few attended Evensong. In the evening after dinner we all gathered again when we were able to thank Sue and Gordon for their organisation. Sunday was a fine day with a 5.5 mile walk to Wookey Hole via Combe Gardens starting at 11am led by Sue and Gordon. Most of us enjoyed a delicious ice cream at Wookey Hole, returning in time for lunch, paying our bills and checking out and returning home to Reading.
Photos of the weekend can be seen under Gallery.
Michael