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MENDIP TIMES
A grand tour of country estates
BIkE routes can have different purposes. Some are functional for commuting, long for endurance or to rack up mileage and then there are those CYCLING that tell a story – with EDMUND LODITE connecting places, history, people and things. A great example of that is the tour connecting two of England’s great country estates – Stourhead and Longleat. The 26-mile route makes use of signed routes on the National Cycle Network, privileged access to the estates, paths and forest trails. The tour starts from the National Trust car park and follows the gravelled drive past Stourhead House. While the house and its contents are impressive it is the landscaped gardens that are the attraction for most visitors. The follies around the lake create a unique landscape that is enhanced by the surrounding woodland and in autumn vibrant colours create spectacular scenes. After a couple of miles, near kilmington, there is a lovely gentle descent down Gare Hill. I’d only ever cycled up this deceptively long hill, so it was nice to enjoy a cruise downhill instead. Heading east, the route then passes the site of the Frome Agricultural & Cheese Show which was being set up as I passed. The first real test of the day is the uphill climb along the aptly named Forest Road. On what was probably the last hot day of this year, the overhanging branches provided some welcome shade along with a cooling breeze rippling through the leaves. At Horningsham, by The Bath Arms, is the entrance to Longleat Estate. What soon follows is a spectacular ride for 1km down the perfectly straight South Drive towards the front of Longleat House. There cannot be many, if any, cycle paths that have such a splendid vista. Don’t rush it, it’s a privilege to be allowed into the heart of this country estate on a bike – and for free. At the end of the drive there are fountains and a huge lion sculpture which is eight metres long and four metres tall. It was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Longleat’s safari park. I thought, that’s as close as I want to get to a lion today! If you do stop in the estate, it needs to be
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brief – rangers patrol the grounds to ensure that traffic and cyclists keep moving. The following uphill ride out of the estate is the most demanding bit of the whole route. It’s hard to believe that only a few hundred metres away on the left behind trees are wild animals roaming the safari park. Climbing higher, the vista across the Longleat estate is spectacular and parts of the safari park are now visible. On the steepest section a bizarre thought crossed my mind. If some of the wild animals managed to escape how much faster would I be able to go? That slightly ridiculous thought kept me distracted until the road levelled off and I exited the estate. On the section through Longleat Forest towards Crockerton I chose to make use of some different terrain along a trail path. In wet/muddy conditions the road may be a better option.
The final highlight of this route is Shearwater Lake. It’s worth taking a detour along the traffic-free path around the back of the lake to enjoy a relaxing moment by the water – there is also a café. The return section back to Stourhead makes use of quiet lanes passing through the villages of Maiden Bradley (founded in the 12th century as a women’s leper colony) and kilmington. The final section makes use of the lane that started the route passing by Stourhead House once again to reach the car park, where there is also a café. This is a tour best enjoyed in a leisurely and gentle way. With privileged access into country estates, there is a lot to enjoy as things noticeably change along the route. But just as important there are places to stop and relax over a coffee and a cake, or pint and pie – or maybe even both!
OCTOBER CROSSWORD SOLUTION
ACROSS: 1. Riyals 5. Clause 10. Relic 11. Moonshine 12. Wedmore 13. Sweater 14. Leitmotiv 17. Pager 18. Plain 19. Airworthy 21. Ingress 23. Michael 25. Directory 26. Igloo 27. Slalom 28. Elects. DOWN: 2. Idled 3. Anchorman 4. Somme 5. Crossover 6. Aisle 7. Skintight 8. Trowel 9. Wearer 15. Inaugural 16. Transform 17. Proscribe 18. Priddy 20. Yellow 22. Excel 23. Maybe 24. Aglet
