Jane and Tony arrived at our hotel at 9.00 to collect my pack once again and deliver it to our accommodation in Temple Cloud. We left Wookey Hole to climb up into the Mendip hills, quite a change from the Somerset Levels! We followed the Monarch’s Way for the first part of our walk, initially through fields in sunshine, then later along muddy tracks. The second part of our walk was on the Mendip Way. We had checked in advance whether we could book a table for lunch in Hinton Blewett, but nothing was available as it is Bank Holiday weekend, so we kept up a good pace, so that we could arrive at our destination before they stopped serving lunch at 4 p.m. The Temple Inn served up an excellent Sunday roast.

Mike and Carolyn, David’s brother and sister-in-law, joined us for a drink at the inn and we enjoyed spending time with them. They offered to take my bag once again, this time to Bath, where we plan to take another break.

A Backward Glance

People are like places, some are mountainous, lofty, difficult to approach; others are like boggy moors that can slow you down and make life difficult; some are like woods: mischievous, complicated, where you can loose your sense of direction. My sister babbles. A babbling brook, not noisy but easy company, the kind of place where it pays to stop, a place to picnic that offers rest on life’s uncertain journey. Thanks Jane and Tony for your good company and all your help x x. We left Wookey Hole complex and continued our way up a steep climb to ‘The Monarch’s Way’ which started out along beautiful open fields quickly leading us into muddy trails again, in and out of woods, through rutted fields of over curious cows, and eventually to brief sanctuary at ‘The Ring of Bells’ pub, where we dined on lemonade drinks and crisps – delicious. From the pub the day got easier, pleasant walks through sloping fields and quiet lanes before reaching pavement, and the welcoming main road to our eagerly sought rest and Sunday Lunch.