LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOOD

We parked the car in a small car park in Wall Common near Steart village. We then walked away from Steart along Steart Drive, to the south west corner of Wall Common by the 'mound'. Ann returned to the car at this point. I joined the River Parrett Trail on the edge of Steart marshes and rounded the 'mound' on top of the embankment of the sea defences. From the viewpoint there was evidence that the whole of the area had recently been landscaped to provide a suitable habitat for marshland wildlife, including hides, new paths and fences to separate the animals from humans. There were good signposts through the reserve to the river, then along the west bank of the river to Combwich Common. I walked through the village on Riverside Road where I met Ann in the car. She had driven from the start of the walk. I drove us to Bridgwater via Cannington and Wembdon and parked in the car park on Mount Street. We walked along the pedestrian Angel Crescent to High Street where we were lucky to immediately catch a bus passing Combwich village. From Withycombe Hill we started walking into Combwich along Brookside Road, following 'South Moor Main Brook' towards the River Parrett. After crossing the brook at a small bridge to a lane leading to an industrial area, we skirted the industrial works by the Way using a narrow track alongside a fence to the river. It was a very long walk along the top of the flood defences, following the meandering river trail which wasn't well used south of Combwich, the path being overgrown with long grass. We passed two workmen repairing the flood defence near Pippin's Clyce and two lots of life boat dinghies powering past down stream. Otherwise it was very quiet with nobody else about. We felt like the only people in the world at times, which can be a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of modern life. We passed ducks and gulls opposite Dunball, alongside the huge muddy banks of the river as the tide continued to go out. Due to the effect of the River Severn estuary, there are many huge tides on the River Parrett. We watched a heron fishing as he/she followed us towards Bridgwater, as we walked near Chiltern Trinity village. We passed a lady with her two dogs, sitting on the grass at the top of the river bank near the sewage works. We got talking and it turned out that she was the same lady with dogs which barked at me the previous day on Wall Common near Steart. Continuing into Bridgwater we passed an attractive graffiti art on a bridge wall. Was it a Banksy? We wondered. We continued onwards past the marina where we left the river at 'the Clink' and found the car on Mount Street, passing Chandos Glass Cone. We stowed our walking gear in the car and enjoyed dinner at The Cornhill (Wetherspoons) before setting off on the long journey home.

Location Map: - www.streetmap.co.uk, - Start: at Lilstock