BEERWAY FARM AND POLDEN RIDGE

By Ken & Helen Wade

Distance - about 2.5 miles. Duration - about 1 hour.

An easy walk along country lanes and footpaths with views of Glastonbury Tor and the Mendip Hills.

Park near the cross roads close to St Mary’s Church, Shapwick and head south up the hill on Main Road towards the Old Vicarage. On your left within about 50 metres of the cross roads you will find the old village school, now the Craft Block of Shapwick School. Pass the tastefully renovated farm labourers' cottages and Old Bakery on the left. When you reach the Vicarage Lane cross roads, turn left past the New Vicarage.  Walk along Vicarage Lane towards the field gate.  On the left are some new detached houses built on the site where there was once a window joinery Company. Opposite, on the right, there is the walled garden of the old vicarage , now a new property called Walled Garden. Follow the footpath sign straight ahead through the kissing gates.  Glastonbury Tor is straight ahead. You now get a wonderful view of the Mendip range with Crook Peak and Cheddar Gorge being made out on a clear day. Over to the right you should be able to see Fenny Castle Hill, the church at Meare and Wells with the television mast behind. Looking back to the left of the Mendip Ridge is Brent Knoll. You can now see Shapwick village with the church tower surrounded by Indian Cedar & Cedar of Lebanon trees. Carry straight on to the field gate and through into the lane keeping Glastonbury Tor straight ahead. On your left is Beerway Farm on the Shapwick side of which stood the previous Shapwick Church (St. Andrews) moved in 1331 to the current site in the village. One can imagine that this lane was the pilgrims way to Glastonbury Abbey since it seems to point directly to the Tor. Shapwick was one of the stopping off places for people coming from the south west. Carry on along this lane for about one mile noticing the walnut tree about two thirds of the way along on the left. You will also notice another good walk that breaks off left from the lane close to an old spinney which gives the impression of having a house ruins within it. This path similarly seems to take off towards Glastonbury Tor as if it was possibly part of the Pilgrim Way. We can now see the start of the housing at Ashcott on the brow of the hill. Glastonbury houses stand out on the left hand side of the Tor. You will soon see a footpath sign to the right, having come through two bends. Take this and head along the track keeping the hedge on your left. Pass through the next 5 bar gate and head on still with the hedge on the left to the next. You can now make out Shapwick village in the distance and, beyond it, on a clear day, the Bristol Channel, Steep Holme and the Welsh mountains.  Continue on to the next gate with the hedge on your left. Pass through and continue again with the hedge on the left. Go straight through the next field entrance with the hedge on the left to the next gate in about 50 metres. You can now hear the traffic of the A39 which is over to the left. Head across towards the right corner of the next field having gone through the gate. Continue through into the next field keeping the hedge on the right. At the road go through the gate and turn right, down Shapwick Hill. At Popplehay Corner, bear right and proceed down Main Road. Have a look across through an apple orchard at the old Mill now converted to a house and Hill Farm outbuildings now converted to Hill House. Continue down to Butchers Lane and look across at what used to be the old butchery and abattoir, now called Oak Farm. Here they used to slaughter all the livestock in the village. Walk past Lawn House and down back to the church crossroads.