Sauntering in Semington
Iam told that I am something of an “anorak”, a term meaning a person who is extremely enthusiastic about and interested in something that other people find boring … so here is a random fact. Getting to this week’s walk from Semington in West Wiltshire involves using the a361. This main road runs close to my house in Trowbridge and, a few years ago, I encountered the same road at Ilfracombe in North Devon. Intrigued, research revealed that this is the longest three-digit a road in the UK, running from Ilfracombe for 195 miles to Daventry in Northamptonshire.
Enough of this pedantry. Semington is an altogether better place since 2004 when the village finally got its much-deserved bypass. Until that time, the a350 trunk road running from the m4 to the south coast ripped through the heart of the place. around 18,000 vehicles, including many articulated lorries, passed along the village’s High Street every day. The residents could barely hear each other speak, never mind the issues with crossing the main road. Today it is an altogether more peaceful scene.
The architectural expert Nikolaus Pevsner was much taken with Semington’s church with its bell-turret, as well as manor Farmhouse that dates from 1698. He also noted a group of Georgian houses on the High Street, and commented on one of “about 1800 with tripartite windows and a porch of two pairs of Ionic columns”. There was also
St George’s Hospital, now the Independent Living Centre, which is housed in the former melksham Workhouse. Built in 1838 and based upon the Poor Law Commissioner’s standard cruciform plan, up to 70 inmates could be housed in the building.
From Semington, a footpath that soon borders the K&a Canal is followed through to Whaddon Lane. Look out for the wildfowl, that typically includes coot and moorhen, mallard and Canada geese. On this stretch of the walk there is also a “winding hole”, a widened area of a canal that is used for turning a canal boat such as a barge or narrow boat. approach this spot quietly and you might well spot the local heron that has made this its home.
There follows a lengthy section of towpath walking that includes an ancient aqueduct that crosses the Semington Brook, as well as a more recent aqueduct that carries the K&a across the Semington Bypass. Compare and contrast their respective architectural merits! The older version has been described as “an impressively robust, albeit squat, structure”. There is also the site of the junction with the Wiltshire & Berkshire Canal, a pair of locks, a dock for boat repairs and the longlost Semington Wharf, where Somerset coal was offloaded for “export” to markets far and wide.
Back in Semington, thoughts will no doubt turn to rest and refresh, and where better than the Somerset arms? The pub’s website says: “at the Somerset arms we are keen to use as much local produce as possible. We try to keep our menu seasonal and our chefs cook everything to order from fresh.” Being retired, I especially recommend their “Wednesday Pensioner Portions”. This is a selection of dishes for a fiver, so what’s not to like? The regular menu is, of course, available.
Getting there
■ Leave the A361 three miles east of Trowbridge to follow a left turn into Semington village. Park on the roadside in 600 yards in the vicinity of the Somerset Arms.
■ 1. With your back to the Somerset Arms, follow Semington’s High Street to the right. In 250 yards, turn right into Pound Lane. At the end of Pound Lane, continue along a track for 250 yards to reach a field. Cross this field, enter a second field and follow its right edge, with the path shortly bordering the K&A Canal. Follow the canal across three further fields before passing through a gateway to join Whaddon Lane.
■ 2. Turn right, cross the K&A and drop down to the right to join the towpath. Follow the path ahead away from bridge 163, and continue for 1¾ miles to reach Newton Swingbridge number 158. Cross this bridge, turn right and, in a few paces, veer left into a field. Follow the right edge of this field, with the canal on the right, along to a stile before following the right edge of the next field to its corner.
■ 3. Bear right on a track, cross the Semington bypass on an aqueduct and pass through the gateway ahead. Walk diagonally across the middle of the field ahead, before dropping downhill to a bridge that crosses the Semington Brook. Cross this bridge and bear right across to a gate and stile. Cross the following field to a gate by a property before continuing along a narrow enclosed path back to Semington’s High Street. Turn left back to the Somerset Arms.