The final stage of The Limestone Link stretches across the Mendip Hills - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Uneven ground, but no demanding hills to climb.

 

Distance  8.5 Kms

 

Transport: Public transport links to the area are not convenient. There are bus and minibus services to Rickford and Blagdon

 

Parking: Free roadside car park at the east (top) end of the Combe on the B3134

 

 

 

Burrington Combe is a centre of caving. The caves were formed by rainwater sinking down and dissolving the limestone, and many are subterranean river courses. Stone Age people lived in the caves and before them animals such as mammoth, hyena, bear and elephant. Some caves, Read's and Rowberrow were inhabited during the Iron Age. 

 

The Limestone Link skirts around the edge of Black Down where the highest point of The Mendips is Beacon Batch, 325 metres above sea level. This is not a limestone area but a wet heather and peat moor land. The path over Black Down crosses East and West Twin Brooks, which disappear down swallets to reach the limestone beneath and passes near Goatchurch Cavern, Rod's Pot and Read's Cavern.

 

This is a large Iron Age Hillfort which has not been excavated.  From the top one can see other hill forts at Worlebury, Brean Down and Cadbury (Congresbury), and also the Welsh coast.  The reamins of the warrener's house are just insdie the fort's east gate at the highest point. Warrens were deliberately made to encourage rabbits and 'pillow mounds' - long mounds of earth, were built for the rabbits to burrow and breed in. There are eight of these in the fort.

 

Rowberrow was noted for the production of calamine and was last worked in 1853.  It was carbonate of zinc and, mixed with copper, produced brass at the Bristol foundries.  In 1790 it was said that fumes from the smelting had killed most of the trees. Rowberrow Warren was open land before it was planted with conifers.

Shipham (sheep farm) was a wild and lawless place in the mining days. Hannah More did much for the poor here and set up a Sunday School in the 1790s. She described the people as 'savage and depraved, brutal in their natures and ferocious in their manners'. She is commemorated by a window in the church.   Old Shipham consists of a network of lanes and cottages because mining shafts were sunk haphazardly with entrances sometimes in the backyards of cottages. Singing River Mine was a calamine working, the shaft entrances being on the opposite side of the road from the church and a short way up the hill, in a field. The mine was large and consisted of a vast network of underground galleries. 

 

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A note to walkers:  Black Down is an exposed area and although it provides wonderful views care needs to be taken on the rough  ground which is a mixture of stones, mud and tree roots. Hill mist and fog can make navigation challenging and suitable clothing providing protection from the elements is necessary. For most of the walk across Black Down you will be walking a bridle path with horses, bicycles and cattle all using the area. The land is Open Access so you are able to take deviations from the path if desired.

 

[1] From the car parking area cross the road and turn left uphill. Take the first track on the right onto Black Down. Walk past Ellick House and up the stoney track, through a WBG to open land with a finger post. [500m]

 

Entrance to Black Down

 

[2] Turn right on the bridle path and take the first right fork keeping the hedge on your right. After 1 Km the path becomes more enclosed with shrub and trees on both sides and drops downhill to a twist in the path which can be muddy.  The path crosses East Twin Brook. [1.2Km]

 

[3] Continue up the path and onto open ground.  Follow the path which, after approximately 300m metres drops down hill. Where the path divides try to take the left path but a diverted path on the right will return you to the original path. 

 

Drop down to cross West Twin Brook and turn right along the path, taking care under the low trees and up to open land. [800m]

 

 

 

[4] A flat grassy area provides the crossing of rights of way. Walk straight across and follow the path crossing four riverlets, (if the weather is wet). The path meets an area with barbed wire fencing on the right.  Continue walking ahead, keeping the fence on your right.  The deep depression on the left is the site of Read's Cavern. Go through a wooden field gate and along the path with scrubby hedge on both sides for about 250m. Join a crossing of paths and take the path to the right. In a short distance find a wooden field gate on the left with MKG to the right hand side of it. This is the entrance to Dolbury Warren. [1Km]

 

 

[5] Walk straight on until you reach a wooden gate with a large MKG on the right side. Go through and walk to the top of the slope. Turn onto the track on the right just before the conifer trees and then turn left through trees. Cross the open top of the hill via the WKG and keep walking along the crest of the hill until you reach the hillfort. Walk across the stony mound in front of you and descend over rough ground and open area ahead to the edge of the outer rampart. [1.88Km]

 

 

[6] Bear left down a stoney track running through trees.  Leave the Warren by a wooden gate and walk down to Walnut House. Turn left down a part contructed lane to Brayford Cottage and turn left.  Just past a cottage called Dolebury End pass through a wooden gate and straight on. Pass a path on the right (which doubles back to join Rowberry Lane near the church).

Keep on the main track for 500m. [1100m]

 

[7] As the route starts to rise turn right up a path which has large drainage pipes across the entrance.  This is Back Lane. Walk the lane through a metal gate to a pink house. Ignore the path on the right and keep on the track past pink house and through a wooden gate by a second house where a lane comes in from the right. [460m]

 

[8] Walk straight on and after 60m turn right up a tarmac track, ignoring the bridle path ahead.  Approximately 50m further on turn sharp right up the path on the bank into Hill Lane and double back up a steep narrow path. [260m]

 

[9] Keep on until you reach Yew Tree Farm, turn left.  You are now on Rowberrow Lane.  Continue on the lane, with views on the right. The lane joins Hollow Road and leads to the Miners Arms in the centre of Shipham. Cross the road and turn left to the Manor House and the Church.  The Limestone Link ends here. [1.3Km]