Into st Dunstan’s Domain
iT is difficult to explore the countryside around Glastonbury without being confronted by one or other of the great characters of British history. While Alfred and Arthur are but the most wellknown, second division heroes are almost two-a-penny. At Baltonsborough, the local boy-made-good is Dunstan. A one-time abbot of Glastonbury, he later rose to even greater prominence as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Born in Baltonsborough in the early years of the 10th century, Dunstan won favour with King Athelstan, soothing the troubled brow of the sovereign with his musical abilities. Soon, however, he was to forsake the pleasures of the flesh by entering the strict regime of Glastonbury Abbey. Here he constructed a hermit’s cell for himself that measured a mere 5ft by 2½ ft. The devil ill-advisedly visited Dunstan on one occasion in an attempt to lure him away from his pious lifestyle, only to have his nose tweaked by a set of red-hot tongs .... or so the story goes.
The River Brue dominates this walk. Truly a Somerset river, it rises on the county’s eastern border above Bruton before flowing past Glastonbury and Meare to join the Bristol Channel at Burnham-on-sea. Around Baltonsborough, the low-lying farmland used to be flooded repeatedly as the Brue burst its banks following heavy rainfall, something that Dunstan was to rectify.
He masterminded a deep ditch for the river to follow northwards from Tootle Bridge to Catsham. This effectively put an end to this localised flooding, with an increase following in agricultural productivity in what was one of Glastonbury Abbey’s extensive landholdings. The river channel is now known quite appropriately as Dunstan’s Dyke. At the same time, Dunstan was instrumental in creating a series of weirs on the Brue to ensure an efficient supply of water into Baltonsborough’s mill-stream, another of his creations, an undoubted series of achievements for a mystic.
Tootle Bridge is a site of some intrigue. On its southern supports, the bowl or depression is reputedly a built-in font. Indeed, this is believed to be the very spot where Dunstan himself was christened. An equally moving tale relates to a drunk who “overspilled himself ” from the bridge one dark night in the 19th century. He landed upside down in this bowl, his head firmly wedged under the holy waters, and was found dead the following morning.
St Dunstan’s Church in Baltonsborough is unusual insofar as the whole fabric is of a uniform date. The current building dates back to the 15th century. Perhaps the most fascinating feature within the building is a strange Jacobean hinged seat, attached to one end of a pew. Its purpose is unknown – maybe it was a maid’s stool, possibly a baby seat or even a seat of penance. Another mystery concerns a ghostly monk who is said to visit the churchyard. Locally associated with Dunstan, the village children are taught to believe that he will appear if they run nine times around the outside of the church.
This walk explores the level countryside around Baltonsborough, following in Dunstan’s footsteps along the banks of the Brue and a local watercourse called Cunlease Rhyne to reach Tootle Bridge. Another section of the Brue follows before returning by way of that millstream to reach the parish church of St Dunstan’s. A truly pleasant waterside stroll.
Footnote: The Greyhound in Baltonsborough is what is known as a “wet pub” – it only sells drinks and bar snacks such as crisps and peanuts. If you are looking for a meal, head back to the A361 and West Pennard where the Red Lion prides itself on sourcing the best local ingredients as well as supporting smaller, family-owned suppliers wherever possible.
Getting there
Leave the A361 in Havyatt 2¼ miles east of Glastonbury and follow an unclassified road signposted to Baltonsborough. In 2¼ miles, having passed a crossroads by the Greyhound pub in the village, park on the roadside in the vicinity of a right turn called Church Walk. Parking is possible in Church Walk but, being a narrow cul de sac, turning around is difficult.
1. Walk along Church Walk and through the churchyard, passing to the left of St Dunstan’s Church, to reach a gate in the end boundary wall. Veer left down to a mill stream, turn right and follow the millstream across the field to a gate in the corner of the field – do not cross the mill stream. Continue along a footpath behind some houses to reach a road and turn left to reach a bridge over the River Brue in ¼ mile. Walk ahead onto this bridge to get a good view of Glastonbury Tor to the right.
For the walk itself, pass through a gateway on the right immediately before the bridge and follow the River Brue upstream for just under 1¼ miles to reach a weir and pool known as Baltonsborough Flights and a footbridge over the Brue on the right. Cross this bridge and bear right away from the river to a handgate