Reaching the Mendip Heights
The limestone mass of the Mendip hills stretches from Uphill south of Westonsuper-mare to Cottles Oak on the edge of Frome, although most guidebook writers ignore the hills east of Wells. The most outstanding and best well-known feature of the area is the extensive network of cliffs and underground caverns that have been carved out of the limestone by the action of slightly acidic rainwater over thousands of years. The hills reach their high point on Beacon Batch, high above Burrington Combe, at 1,067 feet above sea-level. The geology here is quite fascinating – the original limestone anticline has been eroded on the hilltops exposing the underlying old red sandstone. This makes for a fascinating walk of great contrasts. On the lower limestone slopes, there is traditional tree cover of ash and oak, sycamore and horse chestnut. As the walk climbs onto the higher sandstone slopes of Blackdown, there is a distinct change in vegetation to bracken and heathers, as well as bilberry plants, where the berries can be foraged in late summer. This is walking much more akin to exmoor. It is a bleak and lonely landscape, crisscrossed by ancient drove tracks and byways, with numerous settlements and burial mounds that testify to the historical importance of the region. Just below Beacon Batch are a collection of barrows, while beyond the trig point, what appear to be a regimented series of ant hills are allegedly a series of mounds designed to deceive the invading Germans in the Second World War, that this lonely hilltop was in fact a street pattern resembling nearby Bristol. As well as the high ground of Blackdown, the walk also explores Burrington Combe. This delightful spot was forever immortalised by the Rev Augustus Toplady. Toplady was riding back to his home in nearby Blagdon in 1763 when a storm struck. he found shelter in a cleft in the rock face, and was inspired to pen the hymn Rock of Ages whose opening lines read “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.” Rock of Ages refers to Jesus and is a play on words, making a connection between the smitten rock in the Old Testament and Jesus’ smitten body. Cleft, by the way, is simply a joint in the limestone widened by the action of slightly acidic rainfall.
GETTING THERE
Burrington Combe lies just off of the A368, two miles east of its junction with the A38 at Churchill. Follow the B3134 road from the A368 for ½ mile to a parking area on the left, just past the Burrington Inn.
1. CAR PARK
From the car park, turn right and walk down past some public conveniences and the Burrington Inn. In another 100 yards, turn right into ham Link. In 200 yards, at a junction, keep ahead on a cul de sac lane signed as ‘Unsuitable for Motors.’ In 200 yards, having passed a property on the left called ‘The hames,’ pass through a handgate on the right into woodland. Follow the path ahead for 200 yards to a fork and marker post. Follow the left fork, a bridleway, and continue for 150 yards to a junction with a broad track. Follow this track to the left up on to the open ground of Burrington ham and continue for 600 yards until the path drops down into a parking area by the B3134.
2. ELLICK HOUSE
Turn left and follow the main road for 150 yards before turning right onto a track that initially passes ellick house. Continue along this track until it emerges onto the open ground of Blackdown. Walk ahead for 40 yards to a junction and marker post, and turn left to follow a path along the eastern flank of Blackdown. In ½ mile, at a junction, turn right on to the first path on the right and follow this path uphill to the trig point at Beacon Batch. Beyond the trig point, follow the path ahead across Blackdown’s ridge. In 500 yards, at a fork, veer right and follow a path to reach a junction with a broad grassy ride in 350 yards.
3. JUNCTION
Follow this ride to the right downhill to a cross track in just under ¾ mile. Keep walking ahead to a metal barrier and a junction with a track. Turn right through woodland to a cattle grid and continue along what becomes a lane down to the B3134. Turn right back to the Burrington Inn and the parking area.