Brent Knoll

St Mary's, East Brent

On the final day of our short stay in Somerset we decided to visit wonderful garden at Cothay Manor near Wellington. On the way we walked up Brent Knoll, a distinctive mound near Junction 22 on the M5, which we have passed many times, but never explored.

The walk begins in the village of Brent Knoll, by the church. The path leads briskly and steeply upwards. And we had hardly started when it began to rain, not heavily but a steady light rain. The path ahead began to look less inviting.



However, as we got nearer to the top, impressive views could be discerned among the murk.



At the top (137m) there are the remains of an Iron Age hill fort. There is also a memorial stone recoding bonfires held for Queen Victoria's jubilees in 1887 and 1897 and later those for George V and our own Queen's. The village website reveals that during the second world war the Home Guard had a gun emplacement on the knoll.



The weather improved a little while we were up there and a nice view towards another Somerset landmark, Crook Peak, became clearer.



We then began the descent on the far side of the Knoll towards the village of East Brent. The path stretches away along a ridge towards the spire of St Mary's church.



When we got to the church, the morning service has just ended and the parishioners were having coffee and cakes. They were all incredibly friendly and welcoming - offering us refreshments and pointing out features of note in the church.

The current church dates from the late 13th century: the nave was completed in 1298. The plaster ceiling of 1637 in the nave is especially lovely. There is a similar one, by the same Italian craftsman, in St John's church at Axbridge.



Another special feature of the church is the wonderful 15th century pew ends which came from Glastonbury Abbey after a refurbishment there.



Leaving the church, the route then skirts the north side of the Knoll and involves a long series of fields and stiles (there are 25 on the whole walk). The unfamiliar northern view of the Knoll clearly shows the presence of the iron age defensive works.



Eventually, you emerge in the north west corner, where there is a lovely view of Bridgewater Bay and beyond.



From here, a couple more stiles lead to a very steep descent down to the village and a lane which leads back to the church. We didn't go in because a christening was underway.

Distance: 3 miles.

From: Shortish Walks: The Levels and South Somerset by Robert Hesketh (Bossiney Books).

Map: Explorer 153 (Weston Super Mare).

Rating: Four stars. Surprisingly strenuous for a short walk. Wonderful views and a delightful church.


Flower of the day

There were several clumps of Great Willow-herb on the way up.