Somerset pubs on the edge

28/8/21 With the help of a bus to Dulverton and another one to Exford, we were walking by 10:30. Then, unsurprisingly, it was uphill. We went via Chibbet Post and Chibbet Ford onto the moor before picking up the Two Moors Way and descending towards the River Barle. There were a few walkers on this part of the route, which is understandable given the scenery. We carried on upstream past Cow Castle to Simonsbath. As we emerged from the woods, we could see the Exmoor Forest Inn . It was almost like a plan. I think they were new owners. There were several people inside and out. We sat near the bar and had two pints of Silver Stallion (4.3%) and a Taunton Cider (4%) for £12.90. We were not in a rush, so then we had the same again. We returned along a higher route via Winstitchen and Pickedstones overlooking the Barle and Cow Castle. One of our party was pleased to spot a redstart. We also came across a hunt. We could hear the hounds and a horn, followed by a hare crossing our path and few s...

14/8/21 It was a couple of early buses to Minehead to ensure we reached our final destination in time to get the bus. The idea of paying another £8 each to get back to the Culbone Stables seemed unpalatable, so I inquired at the taxi rank about getting to the top of Porlock Hill and we were soon on our way and had saved some money. From there, we walked down to Pitt Farm to join our previous route. Then we retraced our steps to the A39 before heading south. We quickly joined a quiet road and decided to stay with it as we headed onto the open moorland. We passed Lucott Cross and skirted around Exford Common before cutting across to join Coombe Lane. What started off as a track past a couple of remote campsites, turned into a proper road as we descended into Exford. As we had caught a taxi to start and followed a road most of the way, we had plenty of time before the bus. We went into the Exmoor White Horse Inn . They have riverside tables available outside which seemed busy with diners....

7/8/21 Bus to Minehead to start and then we walked along the back roads towards Selworthy. It started to rain before we arrived in the village. We then crossed the A39 and walked cross country to West Luccombe. It was still raining. We were very wet by the time we trudged into Porlock. We managed to find some wooden chairs in The Royal Oak in an attempt not to leave too much mess. We had pints of Doom (4%), Tribute (4.2%) and Tarka (4%) for £11.50 as some families came into lunch. Not much further along the High Street is The Castle . Here we had two pints of Courage Best (4%) and a Beaky Blinder (4.8%) for £11.10 in another pub doing meals. Further again along the High Street, at the bottom of Porlock Hill, is The Ship Inn . It was busy in here and they had a fine selection of real ales. We had two pints of Proper Ansome (4.2%) and a Proper Job (4.5%) for £11.75. Rather than heading up the hill yet, we took the footpath to Porlock Weir. There is another The Ship Inn , sometimes refer...

 31/8/21 Bus back to Watchet for 11am when, by coincidence, Pebbles Tavern opens. A welcoming place with a fine selection of beers and ciders. We opted for ciders. Burrow Hill (6%), Secret Orchard's Holy Water (5.5%) and Wild Rabbit (6%), for £11.90 were a fine start to the day. The coast path east is diverted inland because of cliff erosion, but we had to divert off of the diversion to get to The Blue Anchor . This place was shut because of the erosion when were doing the coast path a few years previously. It has several small rooms inside and seemed to have a few people visiting. No real ale though and we had two pints of Sea Fury (5%) and a Carling (4%) for £10.90. Just off the coast road nearby is The Smugglers Inn . A busy place with the camp site and car boot sale. We had pints of Doom (4%), Exmoor Ale (3.8%) and Mango and Thatchers cider mix (?) for £11.35. We stayed on the coast from Blue Anchor to Minehead, and the tide was in for a change! It was one of those days were i...

 24/7/21 We left early for this one in order to get the connection to Cannington. We declined the opportunity to get a pint in Bridgwater at 10:00, which was a decision that we came to regret. This walk was going to be one of our longer ones. We left Cannington and immediately seemed to walk past hundreds of slugs in the fields and on the roads for the first mile or so. I was heading vaguely in the direction of Hinkley Point initially. The weather had been warm and wet recently and the paths had quite a few fresh brambles etc. We soon came across one path that seemed impassable, so we walked on along a road. We went through some farms and equestrian centres where the footpaths were not signposted, but we managed to keep going towards Hinkley Point. A couple of fields after this photo, we came to a hedge with no way through, not even an overgrown one. We managed to get through to an adjacent field eventually and came out on a road near where we intended. Then it was only a couple of...

17/7/21 On this walk, we are trying to keep close to the edge of Somerset and as the walk should be contiguous, we needed to walk through some of Bridgwater. The next pub to head for is at Combwich. I choose a route through St George's church yard at Wembdon, then cross-country to Cannington Brook and along the Parrett. The fields next to Cannington Brook were difficult to navigate and full of crops in places with a lack signage even where we joined the Parrett Trail. We have walked the Trail ( https://parrettpubs.blogspot.com ) but it was nice to see the tide in. Not only was there a nice cool breeze off the water, but also there was wildlife, a gig being rowed and people having fun on the water. The Anchor Inn at Combwich is set back from the the river front. It was a hot day, so two pints of Doom (4%) and a San Miguel (5%) for £12.20 went down very easily. There were a few people in, mainly eating. If the bus service was better around here, we would have walked east towards Sto...