A short walk around and just outside the town, with good views of Bruton. Some mud in winter. 2 miles, (3.4 km), easy. Photo by permission of Joan Williams.
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Route instructions (including map)
Start at Station Road car park
From the car park turn right towards the town. Swing right opposite the church, cross the river and the road to reach a Town Map which will guide you along the Riverside Walk. Opposite the back of Sexeys Hospital (old medieval buildings set above gardens) turn left (before a house called Heybrook), cross the river and turn right at the junction to continue along the Riverside Walk. On reaching the main road, turn right, follow the road as it turns right past a road junction and cross to a path called Mill Dam (a public footpath), on the left (just after The Hive Restaurant).
2
Go up the path, past the duck pond and over a bridge. After passing a ford on the left join a road which leads right uphill away from the stream to reach a track on the left. Follow the track (a restricted byway) to the first path on the right (a bridleway) which leads uphill between walls (almost hidden under vegetation). Turn left at the top, following the footpath into and along the bottom edge of woodland. Continue straight on to reach a fork in the track. Turn right, walk uphill then left and out onto a driveway and immediately to the main road. [The section from the fork is a permissive footpath. To follow the right of way, turn left at the fork, onto the driveway, then right up the driveway to reach the road].
3
Turn right along the road for a very short distance to a gate on the right. Go through the gate, walk diagonally left uphill, following the line of the electricity cable (a footpath, not always clear). At the top pause to take in the views. Continue straight ahead to a gate. Head downhill on a narrow track (often very muddy and slippery at its bottom) through a broken gate and dogleg and keep straight ahead through the housing estate to eventually reach the road (Higher Backway). Turn right and continue to reach a small crossroads, turn left into St Catherines Hill and go increasingly steeply downhill to the High Street.
4
Turn right and cross the road to view the alms-houses at Hugh Sexeys Hospital. (These are private apartments, but the old chapel and courtyard are usually open for viewing). Retrace your steps along the High Street to reach the Library Junction at its end, turn right and continue downhill to Church Bridge and the return route to the car park.
Explore Somerset route references
Public roads and permissive paths to west end of Bruton High Street. WN5/52 to Tolbury Lane, WN5/63 to its junction with WN5/61, WN5/61 to its junction with WN5/44. WN5/44 to B3081, then WN5/6 and returns to car park using public roads.