I don't know anything about this chap Garnsey except that he built a tower on the brow of a hill.
This site suggests it is "
a decaying tower in Blackborough woods that served as shelter for whetstone miners" which is not ever so revealing. Whetstones are used for sharpening tools and can be a variety of rocks, and I didn't see any evidence of mining. But the tower served as a focal point for the run-cum-hike barefoot which included several major footpath segments.
 |
| 15.2 miles, 657m height gain, 4.2 mph |
 |
| Detail showing some footpaths... |
 |
| The work of an enterprising houseowner in Kentisbeare |
 |
| It was a simple circuit in Gauge 1 and working too |
 |
| Checkerboard church tower, Kentisbeare |
 |
| Thatch is picturesque but that's about all |
 |
| My first footpath got dicy here - it was not well kept |
 |
| But it resolved into a much better path |
 |
| And finally, Garnsey's Tower, ruin thereof |
 |
| From this angle, clearly a tower that once was |
The views looking north from this part of Blackborough Common were spectacular. You can of course enlarge the pictures by clicking on them, after which you can scroll through them.
 |
| Large toadstool I noticed on my descent |
The second major segment of footpath was also poorly maintained. According to my GPS enabled maps (I use UK OS and OpenTopoMap via MOBAC on OruxMaps) the footpath led me through the middle of an oil-seed rape field and then...
...through the middle of a wheat field (or some such grain) - I followed a line made by a tractor to minimise any additional damage to the crop, but in any case going barefoot does a good deal less damage than when shod because one feels one's way through the stalks. And then...
...through a grassy meadow where I could actually run...
... and through hard to identify gates or styles to the next field or, in this case to...
... a very muddy and dark lane that finally opened up into the village of Ashill where there was a helpful sign telling me the lane was "not surfaced", and thence to...
... Culmstock and my much traversed water-meadow footpath to Uffculme and home. And (sadly) one tick so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment