Wivwel two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 75.00% of reviewers

I walked this route starting at Wiveliscombe.

The road out of Wiveliscombe wasn't great for walking and I wonder why the route does not take the Wivey Way route north of the road.

Where the route turns off the road I found a notice saying a bridge was down and the path was impassable - see attached image. So I diverted via the Wivey Way path to the north, rejoining the route at Quakinghouse Lane. This might be a better route anyway.

Milverton is a lovely village, and I had some nice conversations with villagers. Sadly the community has failed to raise the money to keep the Globe Inn open, and it had closed just before I was there.

I found the rest of the route fine. I found no obstruction at Heywood Farm. The path west of Nynehead was through a field of fully grown corn but was kept clear. Alternatively you can divert round the east side of Nynehead.

It's annoying that you can't follow the desire line by crossing the railway as you come into Wellington, but the diversion to the west isn't a big deal. Apparently the crossing has been closed for years, but it still shows on the OS Map.

Sadly this route was not great. We were staying half way along it so the plan was to walk one half then the other but we abandoned it after one half. Part of the problem was the mud after the torrential rain that there had been. That would have been manageable. However the route is blocked at Heywood farm by at least 2 electric fences. We managed to cross one but gave up at the next. Instead we walked through the farm yard (not a right of way) which was a bit off putting as it was next to a clay shooting range. The bit of the footpath we did manage was also covered in clays. Problem has been reported. The next field, heading south, was full of crops so we diverted along the lanes.
I'm sure that once the path is open again and it stops raining it will be a lovely route.

I walked this route in the Wiveliscombe to Wellington direction on a lovely sunny day at the start of July.
This was overall a lovely walk with no real difficulty and plenty of views to enjoy. The route is mostly on public footpaths and accross fields. It was relatively easy to follow with the exception of 2 locations around Manor Farm and Heywood Farm where the path crossing the wheat fields was not obvious.

You can get back to your start point using two bus services via Taunton (do check bus times before you set off especially between Wiveliscombe and Taunton).

I would definitely recommend this walk.

A nice route which is mostly on paths and quiet country lanes. There are diversions (at the time of the review) where there are construction works to the north of Wellington, and these are open to change. But there are notices identifying the route. Some muddy sections experienced.

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