Cycling Destinations: Somerset
A gentle bike tour in classic English countryside
A gentle cycle tour in southwest England, ideal for anyone who likes their cycling leisurely and relaxed, with pretty scenery, comfortable places to stop and great pubs
There’s no better way to experience classic English countryside than a leisurely cycling, tour, and nowhere that embodies such countryside better than South Somerset. It has it all: rolling hills (but not too steep); peaceful lanes; green fields and lush hedgerows; delightful villages. Naturally, there are also plenty of traditional English pubs in which to slake that cyclist’s thirst with a well-earned pint of cool draught beer.
For me it was all summed up near the end of the 80 miles, catching my breath at the top of Ham Hill, the route’s highest point. The view stretched over most of South Somerset. To us, however, it was more than mere spectacle, triggering memories for all the senses: the multicoloured tapestry of the landscape, the indignant piping of a wren disturbed in foraging, the scent of ripening apples, the sweetness of wayside blackberries. Muscle-memory recalls the scale of those rolling hills, the way the lanes curl like the local accent.
Things looked promising from the start; step off the London train at Yeovil Junction station and within minutes you’re into deserted lanes. Avoiding Yeovil town, the route side-slipped into neighbouring Dorset, drifting past the golden stonework of Sherborne Abbey. The next miles conjured a symphony of villages: Sandford Orcas, Corton Denham, Charlton Mackrell, Dowlish Wake and Keinton Mandeville. Scant traffic, mile after mile, gave a sense of time-warp. From Cadbury Castle - possibly Arthur’s Camelot - we swooped into lower, open country. Here we met our only traffic jam: a herd of dawdling cows.
That night we refuelled in the famous Rose and Crown in Huish Episcopi. Known as ‘Eli’s’, the pub has been in the same family for 130 years, and seems hardly to have changed. Both ale and food were real, and wonderful. Next morning, mist on the levels soon burned off. Climbing again, deep in cider country, time-worn lanes were incised into the slopes, trees joining overhead.
The route wriggled on, buzzards wheeling above, meandering at last to the foot of Ham Hill, and then triumphantly to the top. Ham Hill is a perfect culmination, near the end, leaving just a few gentle miles for unwinding. And there is one other thing about Ham Hill that turns good route design into genius. There is a pub at the top.
For more information on the route go to Visit South Somerset. The walking’s good in these parts too: read about it here.
