Distance 10km, 6mile circular walk, moderate.
This walk, south of Bath, is packed with interest. Enjoy woodland covered with a carpet of wild garlic and lush grassy countryside paths, follow the remains of The Somersetshire Coal Canal and catch a glimpse of Midford Castle. The path follows meandering brooks and through the quaint villages of Southstoke and Monkton Combe. There’s a well positioned bench on the final ascent for incredible valley views and a rest, or, of course choose one of the great pubs en-route.
MAP & DIRECTIONS
Walking Map & Directions – below is a fully interactive map with directions, elevation & distances. Download the plotaroute app to follow the route on your phone as you walk with a few simple steps.
THE WALK
- We parked on Beechwood Road where there’s a public footpath entrance on the left. Pass through a field then descend almost immediately through dense woodland covered with a carpet of wild garlic which flowers in April.
- At the bottom there’s a pretty, shallow stream, great for the kids to playing in and the dogs will love this too.
- Cross a small bridge then head straight up through the field. Go past Castle Farm Midford on your left and when you come to the road turn right, cross and you’ll see the footpath continue into a field on your left.
- Go through the field then turn right on Packhorse Lane and follow the fairly quiet road enjoying the views across the valley on your left.
- If you’re in need of a pit stop there’s a fantastic pub, The Packhorse Inn, in the village. Booking is essential on the weekend but you can stop for a drink in their beautiful garden.
- Continue straight through the pretty village of Southstoke, past a small green on your left, then through a stile just past St Jame’s the Great Church.
- Go through the stile the route goes left and down through the field. Before you descend check out the viewpoint on the path to the right, about 50 meters on the right.
- Pass through a few more stiles and at the bottom of the hill you’ll come across The Somersetshire Coal Canal.
- The Somersetshire Coal Canal is a narrow canal, built around 1800. Its route began in basins at Paulton and heads down to Limpley Stoke where it joined the Kennet and Avon Canal. This link gave the Somerset coalfield access east toward London. The longest arm was 10.6 miles (17.1 km) long with 23 locks. The canal became disused and officially closed in 1902 and in September 2014, restoration work began on the canal section from Paulton to Radford, with the aim of restoring the entire canal to navigation in the future. There’s some wonderful walks to explore the coal canal further and The Somersetshire Coal Canal Society have put together a walkers guide.
- This path picks up the Limestone Link which is very easy to follow. It follows the course of the river, meandering through woodland then open fields. Turn off the path onto Midford Road and the Hope & Anchor, an excellent pit stop, then turn left and up Midford Lane.
- At the top of the hill you’ll see Midford Castle on your left, once owned by Nicholas Cage, apparently sold to pay a hefty tax bill. There’s a left turn back onto the footpath and continue to follow the river through grassy fields, where we saw some kites circling, until you reach Monkton Combe.
- Weave through the historic village then follow a steep set of stairs up through a tree tunnel until you reach the top where a well placed bench is waiting for you to sit on. The views are worth the climb.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- TERRAIN: mixture of country footpaths, mud and grass, some quiet road sections
- PARKING: we parked on Beechwood Road free residential street, there’s also free parking at the pubs listed below
- LENGTH: 10km / 6miles
- DURATION: 2.5hrs
- ELEVATION: 262m of climbing, fairly steep section at the beginning & a section at the end
- DOG FRIENDLY: Yes. There’s a few grazing animals on this route
- PUBS & CAFE: