What goes in there?

I found your recent article on England Coast Path very interesting and realised part of it ran less than a 40 minute drive from where I live. So I decided to walk the stretch from Highbridge to Dunball Wharf near Bridgewater, on the banks of the River Parrett.

I had a very enjoyable walk and – for the most part – only seabirds and cattle for company. The views were fantastic, with the edge of Exmoor in the distance and the new power station at Hinckley Point a constant reference to how far I had walked.

Curiously, another building hoved into view – one which didn’t seem to fit into the mostly flat landscape. As I got nearer it appeared to be an aircraft hanger which again didn’t make sense as the area surrounding it is mostly marsh. A rapid Google revealed it to be the last remaining WWII Barrage Balloon Hanger in the UK, which has been sitting in the Somerset countryside since it was decommissioned in 1945. A short trip inland revealed it to be behind a very high fence but as luck would have it a very nice man opened a gate to allow me to take a photo. A very nice moment at the end of a lovely day.

Simon Thompson, Nailsea