The Somer Valley and Mendip Foothills

There's so many beautiful walking areas around Bristol that you're almost spoilt for choice, but if you've not walked round the Midsomer Norton area before then you're in for a treat, not least because the walk co-incides with Farmer's Market Day which happens on the first Saturday of the month. Get here early and buy your packed lunch and snacks from the market stalls.

Your walk starts at Town Park in the historic market town of Midsomer Norton. The first leg of the walk takes you into the newly designed parkland with its amphitheatre and the Somer river running through, before joining a heritage trail lined with trees and little pathways. It is a relatively flat stretch which leads to the Silver Street Nature Reserve, beautifully designed by local volunteers and full of wildlife. There’s then a steady and easy climb to a track alongside an old preserved railway (still in use and run by volunteers) in the foothills of the Mendips with excellent country views all along the righthand side and where deer are often seen.

This route continues, with a short section on a quite lane, through fields, into Chilcompton village and on to our lunch stop by the Holy Cow café in the grounds of an early 17th century Manor Farm. It’s about 4.5 miles into our walk and a perfect spot to enjoy your packed lunch or purchase refreshments from the café. From here we follow the meandering river Somer through more fields and then uphill for some of the best views across the area before a steep descent back to Midsomer Norton partly re-tracing our steps along the first section of the walk. 

Please bring your own water and packed lunch. Café refreshments are not included. There are public toilets at the start and end of the walk. The Holy Cow Café has toilet facilities for those purchasing refreshments.

How it works:

Buy your ticket in advance: Buy your ticket here in advance – you can buy for friends and family too. We’ll email your tickets plus send you more information closer to the day including what to bring and travel arrangements.

Make your own way to the walk meet point: Many of our walks have good public transport links, but if you’re needing a lift email us at info@letswalkbristol.co.uk and we will pass the message on to other walkers booked onto your walk. If you’re wondering about the health and safety issues surrounding car sharing there’s some helpful information on the Liftshare travel happy website: https://liftshare.com/uk. 

Meet your guide: Your walk guide will be at the meet point to welcome and register you. We have an amazing team of experienced, insured guides who have designed some fabulous walking routes and who will be able to share interesting information with you along the way. They will also have details of any health/medical notes you told us about when you registered.

Nordic walking? This walk is open to both Nordic and regular walkers, so bring your poles and enjoy the day. There won’t be a pre-walk Nordic warm-up so if you’d like to do your own we’d recommend you arrive a bit early. 

Looking after your health and safety: Your health and safety is important to us and we have the following provisions in place on this walk: A requirement for everyone to complete and bring a Covid-19 declaration and waiver in order to participate. A limit on walker numbers to 16 people. A walk assistant to help should anyone in the group need to drop out for any reason. 

Don’t forget to book onto our evening socials for afterwards! 
We’ve two great Evening socials organised so you can meet up with others, continue to enjoy the Festival and experience Bristol’s vibrant culture. Choose between Underfall Yard - a working boat yard with a stunning view across the harbour - and Toto’s, which is a trendy wine bar on the harbour front with a great private terrace. There’ll be food, music and plenty of outdoor space at both for you to enjoy.
 

Distance: 7.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate 
Time: 10am - 2.30pm
Meet: Town Park, Midsomer Norton (near South Road car park, BA3 2DB)
Cost: £18