Marston & a grand estate
MAP
OS Explorer 142 Mendip Hills East
Distance 4 miles time
2 hours
terrain
Flat other than a descent/ascent of Cheese Hill
Start
Marston Layby (GR 752452 or postcode BA11 5DE approx)
The start of the walk, a layby alongside the A361 south of Frome, is not particularly promising. From sunrise to sunset, a steady stream of lorries roar by, on their way to or from the nearby Mendip quarries. The A361, incidentally, has a claim to fame. It is the longest three-digit ‘A’ road in the UK, its 195 miles taking it from Ilfracombe to the village of Kilsby near Rugby. Along the way it passes through Barnstaple and Taunton, before crossing the Somerset Levels to Glastonbury. It continues through Frome and Trowbridge, Devizes and Avebury before crossing the eastern Cotswolds to reach an anonymous roundabout at its junction with the A5 in Northamptonshire. Surely one of the UK’S best road trips? The A361 is soon left behind as the walk descends Cheese hill to reach a cul de sac leading to Marston Church. Dedicated to Leonard of Noblac, the current Grade I-listed building dates back to 1789. Should you be able to access the interior of the church, the stained glass in the east window dates from the 15th century and is from Altenberg Abbey, near Cologne. It depicts a scene from the early life of St Bernard, the driving force of the Cistercian order. Quiet lanes bring the walk to Tytherington, home of the ever-popular Fox Restaurant & Grill as well as Marston Pond, a private fishery. The buildings of Sound Foundation Community Care dominate the village, a charitable trust whose aim is to inspire people to take greater care, develop awareness of and responsibility for their health and well-being. Café Nouveau, with its imaginative and wholesome menu, lies within this complex and is open to the public seven days a week. The highlight of the walk will prove to be Marston Park, whose 222 hectares include Marston house, Marston Pond and the remains of the medieval village of Lower Marston. These remains are a series of humps and bumps in a field on the approach to Tytherington. The house was rescued from dereliction by John and Angela Yeoman of Foster Yeoman Ltd, who used the building as the quarry company’s hq. It was sold in 2012 for £6 million and is now very much a private residence. For information on Café Nouveau, visit www.cafe-nouveau. co.uk
Getting there
Drive all of the way around the Frome Bypass to its junction with the B3090 on the southern edge of Frome. Continue along the A361 towards Glastonbury for ¾ mile before turning left onto a road signposted to Marston Bigot. Almost immediately, park in a layby on the left.
1. Start
Walk back to the Marston Bigot road and turn left – the road is shown as ‘Cheese hill’ on the OS map. In 350 yards, by Church Lodge, detour left to visit Marston Church. For the main walk, continue following the road ahead for a mile to a junction. Turn left along the road signposted to Tytherington and Frome. having passed Burnt Cottage and a cul de sac lane on the right in ½ mile, continue ahead along the road – Tuckmarsh Lane on the OS map – for 300 yards to a gate and public footpath on the left.
2. Onto tytherington
enter a field and bear half-right to walk across to a gate in the right-hand field boundary. Cross a stream at this point before walking across the following field to a stile in its far right corner at the righthand end of Thickthorn Wood. Walk across the next field to a footbridge across Marston Brook in the opposite hedgerow to the left of an oak tree. Cross the next field, a pond to the left, to a stile in the end field boundary to the left of a property with a red tiled roof. Continue through a spinney to a lane and turn left, the Fox Restaurant and Grill to the right. In 75 yards, with a cul de sac lane on the right, turn left and walk through to the car-park of a training centre.
3. MARSTON PARK
Beyond the car-park, keep ahead to a handgate before walking around the left edge of the field ahead and then around to the right to a stile by a walled garden. Follow an path to another stile before following a footpath across Marston Park with Marston house away to the right. In half a mile, veer right to a gate and stile by Church Lodge, join a road and walk uphill to the right to a layby alongside the A361.