Winter Walking - Compton Dundon - Somerset

Geography is sometimes overlooked as a subject, but for anyone who loves to walk in the countryside it is as important as, say, the art of following a recipe when you are planning to cook a meal. 

Like a recipe, some locations have all the right ingredients - or a blend that you just know will be perfection when you eventually get to taste it.

The area around the twin villages of Dundon and Compton Dundon in Somerset is like that. Look at a map and you will see that the vast swathe of the Somerset Levels stretches all the way inland to suddenly halt in a great arc of hills around the two adjacent communities. It’s almost like seeing a huge green ocean sweep south and east only to be corralled in a large bay lined by wooded cliffs. Which, of course, is exactly what the situation was long before the Levels were drained and the huge flat area was a marshy inland sea. 

The curvature of the ridge of hills nips and tucks, twists and weaves, this-way-and-that, forming - in the case of the Dundon area - a large “bay” that, on three points of the compass, surrounds a section of the Levels called Somerton Moor. 

It’s all very picturesque. Large, extensive, beech hangars crown the steep sided ridge of the Polden Hills and far below the villages and farmsteads huddle close to the land as opposed to being “out at sea”. Indeed, there are very few buildings out on the low flat polders.

But there are islands. Two, to be exact. Big bold green islands that help to separate the twin villages of Dundon and Compton Dundon. And it’s these hills that we’ll explore this week - before moving onwards and upwards to the marvellous Polden Way on top of the ridge in the next walk.

To reach Compton Dundon, I drove to Street and took the B3151 towards Somerton. Heading south, the road descends from the ridge before reaching the village, where we take a right to enter the Compton-less bit of Dundon. Opposite the village cricket pitch a lane climbs to the shoulder which separated the two “islands” and we drove up it to park on a wide bit of road near the church.

It’s from here that a public footpath ascends away from the village in a westerly direction to climb magnificent Lollover Hill. At just under 300 feet, this might not be a mountain, but Lollover really does have that sense of being magnificent because it rises so steeply, straight out of the dead flat Levels. A wondrous fact which you will be able to enjoy once you’ve climbed to the trig-point at the summit.

Strange name, by the way… Some locals believe Lollover comes from ‘Look Over’ referring to the fact that locals went up the hill to watch the 1685 Battle of Sedgemoor which so infamously and bloodily took place about eight miles away across the Levels. 

The hilltop is overseen by English Heritage as a nature reserve which helps preserve the traditional hillside farming techniques (lynchets) and the wild orchids which grow around the steep flanks. Not that we saw any during our warm and sunny walk a couple of weeks ago - it was February, after all. 

There are many vantage point around the Somerset Levels, but the top of Lollover has to be one of the best there is. The flat green ocean seems to spread forever into the haze, but you will see the distant Quantock Hills far to the west and I’m told you can spy Hinkley Point nuclear power station, although why you’d want to do such a thing I can’t imagine. 

After you’ve been suitably wowed by the views, carry on along the footpath which descends as it heads west boards Bartletts Farm. Before it gets there the path veers to the left and now head south towards the large sheds of Upper Hayes Farm, but before it reaches this busy looking place there’s a chance to turn left again and now head back east towards the village along a track which traverses the lower flanks of Lollover. 

Back in Dundon, we turned right along the road and walked a couple hundred metres to the point on Peak Lane where a footpath begins its ascent of the hill on the left.

After a short climb, you will see a very steep permissive path which will take you up to the top of the Somerset Wildlife Trust run Dundon Beacon Nature Reserve. 

To quote from the SWT’s website, this is… “A mosaic of calcareous grassland, scrub, ancient oak woodland, secondary woodland and conifer plantation. The top of Dundon Hill features significant archaeological remains with a hill fort, Bronze Age round barrow and ancient quarry…”

The Trust is in the process of creating a balance of ancient oak woodland combined with managed coppice and restored grass downland. And I have to say it is a fabulous place…

The hilltop is dominated by the an Iron Age fort and hilltop settlement, and a tumulus where a kneeling skeleton was excavated in the early 19th century. At one time Dundon Beacon was part of a communication chain linking other beacon hills at Ilminster, Shepton Mallet and the Mendips.

So, after taking a turn around the historic and wildlife rich hilltop we made our descent down another steep path which took us to the public right of way that runs east to west from the main village of Compton Dundon to the school and the church at Dundon. 

You could turn right here if you wished so that you could visit the Castlebrook Inn down on the main road, but our desire to complete a second walk in the area took us west past the school and back to my car. The afternoon’s adventures high above the village on the Olden Way will have to wait until next week…

FACT FILE

Basic walk - loop around Lollover and Dundon Beacon hills at Compton Dundon.

Distance and going: three and a half miles, very steep in places.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Trove of Droves

Not a must, but a good option. If you’ve time you could extend this walk into the flat polders by taking a series of droves out over Compton Dundon Moor. Be warned: take the ones which are public rights of way as they will link with others and not leave you stuck between the rhynes.

Carry on along the Cary

The main waterway which creates the flatlands close to this walk is the River Cary - follow it upstream a few miles and you’ll come to Castle Cary which is a charming little town to visit if you’re in the area. 

Gotta be Glastonbury

In the other direction, Glastonbury is just a few miles to the north - and it is a town always worth visiting for a spot of lunch, a walk around to see the sites or a visit to the Somerset Rural Life Museum.