B2B Day 14 Wells to East Harptree--Enjoy the Moment

For an OS map of today's walk (10.5 mi; 16.9 km; 1,297 ft total ascent), click here.
 
Today's walk took us uphill out of Wells. We met a woman walking her dog, and we chatted a bit about the weather and the expected rain, and she parted by saying, "Enjoy the moment!" So we did.

We came upon some walkers named Sarah and Will (and their dog, whose name we didn't get) who were coming in the other direction. They were fun to talk with. They are much tougher than we are--they are on a month-long walking trip and they are camping, with a tent and a compressible sleeping bag. We are too soft for that, and appreciate staying in B&Bs with a hot bath or shower after a long walk. It was nice to meet other walkers (which has happened more often on this trip than some of our others), and to compare notes.

We had decided we weren't going to go to the caves at Wookey Hole, since it looked rather amusement-parkish which (at least on this trip) didn't really appeal to us. We did decide to go through Ebbor Gorge, which is a nature reserve. We had hardly got onto the path when we heard a commotion ahead, and saw a huge bird of prey drop a small rabbit onto the path. The bird went up a tree as we came along, and the rabbit was struggling helplessly on the path. It made us sad, but we also recognize that this is what happens in nature, and we hurried past so that the bird could end the rabbit's struggles. 

The rest of the walk through the gorge was absolutely beautiful. There was a narrow bit through some rocks that was a bit of a scramble, involving both hands and feet. We were grateful it didn't rain while we were scrambling, as the mud would have then become a river.

Sara in Ebbor Gorge

Ken in Ebbor Gorge

Sara in Ebbor Gorge, just before the "scramble"

Soon after, we enjoyed the amazing view after having gained quite a bit of height after climbing through the Gorge.

Ken heading for a good viewpoint under a darkening sky

We went on several paths until we arrived at Priddy. Men were working outside the Queen Victoria pub there, and afterwards we realized that they were changing the pub signs and putting up new ones, that looked very sharp.

The new pub sign, installed while we ate inside

It was a really nice pub, and the food was excellent. We especially enjoyed sharing a bowl of warm chips, cooked just right. It poured outside while we were inside, and it was still raining when we set out again. 

It rained hard about three times while we were walking, and rained more lightly off and on for the rest of the day's walk, though we did have several "clear" periods. We went through a moor-land type of place with old mine spoilings that was kind of interesting, and then through a muddy forest path with deep ruts. We were following the Monarch's Way for part of the time, and it took us onto a busy road which was rather terrifying to navigate, but we made it safely to the next part of the path. 

Waymark for the Monarch's Way

After several more fields and a bit of difficult pathfinding, we made it to our Harptree Hideaway, a beautiful annex of three rooms. It was so restful and inviting, we wished we could stay there more than one night. Sara went down to the community shop in the village and got some rolls, Somerset ham, and local cheddar cheese (we are after all near the Cheddar Gorge), and we had a simple dinner at home. Our hosts had left us some things for breakfast, but we really enjoyed the shortbread biscuits they left to have with our tea!

Our cozy Harptree Hideaway