Some of us started the weekend away early on the Friday by meeting at The Good Earth Café in Wells where we had a variety of scrumptious veggie meals, and a few fine brews for the ale fiends as well!
We then ambled to Wells Cathedral passing the famous water fountain, as featured in Hot Fuzz – yarp! The tour of the cathedral was great with a good mooch through the triforium and plenty of time up-close with the scissor-arches. The cathedral frontage has statues with ‘singing holes’ behind for the choir to sing out of on processions, and thanks to our very own Julie Andrews impersonator the Mendips were Alive with the Sound of Music soon enough, much to the astonishment of passers-by and baffled footballers, which was fun. After climbing a lot more stairs we reached the top of the tower with great views, saw the Tor in the distance and had a group photo, not reproduced here to protect the red-faced and easily winded.
Later that evening after bagging a bunk everyone headed down into Street for the pub. People returned back to the hostel full of spirits – or full of scrumpy – and ready for rest for the next day’s walk.
Saturday morning began with a ‘full English’, then we were off, climbing a hill to a folly where we saw the Tor lined-up through the trees and had elevenses. After seeing plenty of sheep in the fields we eventually came across an orchard with newly-born lambs, and a buzzard hanging about in hope of lunch. We made it to the Tor and set off up the climb, and with each step we took it got windier. At the top we were greeted by a rain squall, the remains of a view, and a didgeridoo player serenading us as the wind whistled through the tunnel beneath the ruined tower. As the rain set in a few of us ran down to Glastonbury to seek food at The Blue Note Café, and then after refreshment and a light spot of retail therapy for some we continued. Just outside of Glastonbury we discovered a trapped lamb so the James Herriots of the group rescued it from the brambles and it ran off looking pleased to catch up with the flock (this sheep rescue now bringing it to three, so everywhere that LRWG went the lamb was sure to go…).
On the way back to the Hostel, we called in at a Cider Farm and, after sampling their wares, took several flagons back to the hostel, so on arrival we could sit sipping excellent perry and nibbling the famous lemon drizzle cake by the light of the setting sun. Then it was time for the similarly famous lasagne, and off the next day to Gorge on Cheddar…
