Image © Derek Harper and licensed for re-use under
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(Please note that all distances shown are approximate.)
The Coleridge Way over 5 nights / 4 walking days:
| Section | Distance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nether Stowey - Bicknoller¹ | 9.2 miles | 14.75 km |
| 2 | Bicknoller¹ - Roadwater | 9.5 miles | 15.2 km |
| 3 | Roadwater - Wheddon Cross | 8.4 miles | 13.5 km |
| 4 | Wheddon Cross - Porlock | 8.9 miles | 14.25 km |
The Coleridge Way over 4 nights / 3 walking days:
| Section | Distance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nether Stowey - Monksilver² | 14.35 miles | 23.0 km |
| 2 | Monksilver ² - Wheddon Cross | 12.75 miles | 20.5 km |
| 3 | Wheddon Cross - Porlock | 8.9 miles | 14.25 km |
¹ There is limited accommodation in Bicknoller and your accommodation for this night may be in Stogumber and
will add an additional 2.5 miles (4 km) to the Nether Stowey to Bicknoller section. This does not affect the
total distance on the following day's walk to Roadwater.
² Your accommodation for this night will be in Stogumber and will add an additional
1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the Nether Stowey to Monksilver and Monksilver to Wheddon Cross sections.
The Coleridge Way starts from Nether Stowey, a busy village with a good selection of shops and small businesses, and three pubs! The older part of the village is now a conservation area. The cottage in Lime Street where Coleridge once lived has gone through many changes and use since his time; it is today, a museum dedicated to the poet and his work. The remains of a 11th century Motte & Bailey castle, sits on a mount and offers tremendous view of the village and surrounding area, reaching as far as the Welsh coast. Legend has it that a giant lived in a cavern below the mount.
The Path climbs steadily from Nether Stowey to Woodlands Hill for 2.5 miles. It is then downhill to Holford, a pretty village with thatched cottages and the remains of a Huguenot silk factory. The poet Wordsworth, a close friend of Coleridge at the time, once stayed here.
From Holford (3.6 miles), the Path generally undulates to Bicknoller, with a few short sharp descents and climbs in and out of small combes. It skirts the northern edge of the Quantock Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the first of its kind created in the UK in 1956, because of the beauty of its heathlands, deep wooded combes and undulating farmland.
The village of West Quantoxhead (7.6 miles) was re-located to its current location in the 18th and 19th century by its landlords
to improve their outlook and privacy. The church, the old school buildings and the village hall are now all that remain of the buildings in
the village's original location.
Bicknoller (9.2 miles) is another lovely village with some beautiful thatched houses. The gem though must be Halsway Manor which has been a residential folk music centre since 1965. The main manor building dates from the 12th century with sections added in the 15th and then again in 19th century. The nearby churchyard of St George has a 1,000 year old yew, under which are the old village stocks. And above the village lies an iron-age settlement, the Trendle Ring. Due to the lack of accommodation, overnight stays are likely to be in the villages of Stogumber or Williton.
It is generally level walking across fields all the way to Monksilver (14.1 miles) , at one stage crossing over the West Somerset Steam Railway. The Path enters Exmoor National Park and the Brendon hills at Monksilver and climbs Bird's Hill for approximately one mile, much of it through woodlands. The Path opens temporarily to wonderful views across the Bristol Channel to Wales before descending in more woodlands. The Path travels through several more woodlands on a fairly level walk above the Roadwater Valley to the village of Roadwater (18.7 miles).
The Path starts with a long climb from Roadwater. It passes firstly through Langridge Woods, then farmland, which offers tremendous views across to the Quantocks and Bristol Channel, before descending to Luxborough (21.9 miles). Luxborough is a beautiful little village, comprising of the hamlets of Churchtown, Kingsbridge and Pooltown; the River Washford adds to the picturesque setting.
The Path climbs again after Luxborough through more farmland; looking back, there are again more tremendous views to be enjoyed, along the route. After Lype Hill, the highest point on the route, it gently descends to Wheddon Cross (27.1 miles).
For a few weeks in the Winter, when the flowers are in full bloom, you can take a minor detour to Snowdrop Valley to admire the "carpet of white".
The descent continues after Wheddon Cross through woodlands, a narrow gulley to a river valley, where the Path continues along a stream before a steep climb onto the open moorland of Dunkery - not to be attempted when visibility is poor! Enjoy the fine views from Webbers Post. If you have time, you can try to locate the wooden sculptures that are scattered in these woods.
The delightful village of Porlock greets you at the end of your trek. It also boasts a mile long shingle ridge, an inland salt marsh and the remains of a submerged forest, which are visible at low tide. It is alleged that Coleridge was interrupted by a "man from Porlock" when he was writing the Kubla Khan, hence the poem was never completed.
On arriving in Porlock, make time to call in at the Vistors Centre where you can find out about Porlock and the Vale of Porlock. You will even find there some of the bones of an aurochs that were uncovered by the sea a few years ago in the remains of the prehistoric forest off Porlock Weir.
