 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
English CountiesNational Parks |
Walking in Somerset
Luxborough (Kingsbridge) - Luxborough is a large parish of scattered hamlets hidden away in the heart of the Brendon Hills south of Dunster. Kingsbridge is a small hamlet clustered around a bridge over the Washford River. It is set in a wide green valley. Steep wooded hillsides descend to lush pastures typical of the Brendons. Sunken lanes bordered with flowers ramble over the hills, linking the small settlements within this scattered parish. OS Maps: Explorer™ OL9 A Walk from Kingsbridge [SS 984377]
When you buy from Walking Pages your complete satisfaction, peace of mind and security are our main priority. Our on-line bookshop is one of the longest established on the internet. We have been serving walkers on line for over six years and have built our reputation on reliable service. Go to our bookshop by clicking on the 'Books' navigation button or one of the walking guide links throughout the site and you will be transferred to our secure server, confirmed by the golden padlock on your browser. Should you decide to purchase you will be tranferred to HSBC plc. secure e-payments for credit card transactions, giving you absolute confidence in your card security. Full information about our terms of trading is provided at the bookshop.
© Copyright 2000 to 2010 Walking Pages Ltd. and its associates. All rights reserved |
|
Part
of the South West peninsular of England, Somerset is a predominantly
rural county and a major holiday destination. It's popularity is hardly
surprising considering the rich mixture of quiet pastoral landscapes,
wild moors, stunning limestone gorges and the spectacular northern coastline.
Five ranges of hills, the Mendips, the Quantocks, the Poldens, the Blackdowns,
and the Brendons, provide wonderful walking and spectacular views. South
Somerset is a rural idyll with gentle landscapes, sleepy villages and
colourful beauty in the fields, orchards and woods. The important and
hauntingly beautiful Somerset Levels provides a complete contrast to
the deep and dramatic Cheddar Gorge with its soaring limestone cliffs,
and yet these different landscapes are but a few miles apart.
The
west of the county is dominated by the magnificent Exmoor National Park,
a walker's paradise. Softer, benign and more compact than Dartmoor,
there is still a feeling of space and wilderness on the open moors.
The many enticing combes through which tumble sparkling streams add
to the walker's delight. Further east the Quantock Hills provide more
splendid walks on a more intimate scale. In the east of the county the
deep limestone gorges and caves of the Mendip Hills provide a stunningly
different landscape. Stone from Mendip quarries was used to build the
magnificent Wells cathedral and many other fine churches in Somerset.
The central and southern areas are a undulating pastoral landscape of
farmland, woods and quiet rivers. For such a small area the landscape
is remarkably varied. Dramatic wooded escarpments drop down to the broad
sweep of the Blackmore Vale and contrast vividly with the flat moorlands
of the rivers Yeo, Ile and Parrett that stretch towards the Somerset
Levels. The Vale of Taunton Deane south of the Quantocks gives a taste
of peaceful, pleasant walking.
To
the south of the Mendips lie the ecologically important Somerset Levels,
one of Europe's most important wetlands. This area, often referred to
as the Plain of Sedgemoor, is a low-lying landscape of willow edged
quiet streams which drain into the rivers Parrett and Brue, which, in
turn, flow into the Bristol Channel. The maze of drainage ditches, or
Rhines, criss-crossing the Levels do not make for easy walking, but
running through the centre of this region are the Polden Hills; although
these are never more than 300ft high they provide the means to walk
and explore this area and provide good views across the Levels to the
north and south.
