- Distance 7.5 miles (12 Km)
- OS Map Explorer 22
- Parking at Broomfield,
ref: 224 320 - Parking at Triscombe Stone,
ref: 163 359
- Link to OS map
- Broomfield Information
Parking
Suggested parking at Broomfield is outside Fyne Court visitor centre, there is parking inside the centre but be aware that the gates are closed at night.
From Taunton travel in a northerly direction through Kingston St Mary and follow the road to the top of the hill (about 5 miles). At the crossroads turn right and immediately right again, signposted to Fyne Court, which is approx. 1 mile down the lane. If you are not parking in the visitor centre there is usually room to park safely at the side of the road.
Route
From the visitor centre walk in a westerly direction for a short distance to the end of the lane. Turn right (north) and on the left you will see a phone box. Take the track next to the phone box, heading south-west. The first part of the path heads downhill and can be quite muddy in wet weather. Don't despair! After just 1/2 Km the Greenway forks off to the right (pic2), the going underfoot improves and the view opens out (pic1).
The path continues downhill for a short way and then rises to meet a road by Raswell Farmhouse (pic3). The Greenway crosses the road and continues fairly steeply uphill for another 1/2 Km before meeting a very quiet lane that leads to Ivyton Farm (pic4). Be careful! Don't get carried away with the views from here and follow the wrong footpath, of which there are several. After passing through the farmyard you need the green lane to the right (pic5). Unfortunately the signpost here has been 'mislaid' on more than one occasion and you do need to get the navigation correct or the Greenway will be lost, (I speak from experience!). The path passes the bottom of Ball Lane (another green lane), and emerges at Cushuish, ref. 196 308.
From Cushuish take the quiet country lane, heading north-west (pic6), until you emerge opposite Cothelstone Manor (pic7). Now take the footpath across the field to the left of the manor, passing in front of some of its buildings and the entrance to the church (pic8). Head across the parkland towards the three poplar trees. The footpath meets a lane just south of Terhill. Follow the lane north to Terhill, ignoring the footpath opposite (pic 9). Continue along this quiet lane for just less than 1km and take the footpath on your left, leading to Milton Farm on the outskirts of West Bagborough (pic 10).
Unfortuantely The Rising Sun, a sixteenth century inn, was destroyed by a fire in January 2002. It has since been rebuilt and enlarged. Continue through the village, past the pound on your left, and go through the church lychgate on the right (pic 11). Walk up to the church, with Bagborough House on your left, and follow the footpath through the graveyard to the left. Shortly after the churchyard there are a couple of benches and a fine view - good place to stop for a sandwich.
Look for that turning! You are heading for Rock Farm. Half way between the church and Rock Farm, immediately after two hay barns, take the footpath on your right - on the map it appears straight ahead, on the ground it does not! Just before writing this the path was signed for the Deane Way, but not for the Greenway. Continue across the fields (pic 13). On reaching the farm track at Rock Farm turn right. The tarmac gives way after a couple of hundred yards and the path turns sharply left to the north-west, following a countour line to Triscombe (pic 14).
At Triscombe there is a thatched pub, The Blue Ball. The evening session is from 7pm, so don't work up a thirst too early in the day! Now for the steep bit, it's about 1km but maybe just over 1/2 mile sounds better. Head north-east up the old quarry road - and keep going up to the car park at Triscombe stone (pic 16). Don't try and drive up here because road becomes a track towards the top. The quarry, and the scarring it has caused to the hill, can be glimpsed on your right, behind a high chain link gate. Screened behind newly planted trees is a lake that has formed, the reason for the fencing is that the lake is over 100m deep.
If you don't intend to do the whole of the southern loop in one day, and would rather not have a steep climb at the end of the day, I would suggest the following. Although the map shows a car park by The Blue Ball it is for customers of this busy pub, and roadside parking is impractical. A car could be left at the free car park in Crowcombe (ref 141 366) and you can reach this by following part of the northern loop from Triscombe. The northern route takes the lane heading north-west from The Blue Ball, it's just over 2 1/2 km to Crowcombe - where the Carew Arms also opens at 7pm.