Walk Leader: Claire Kitchen
Seven of us began today’s walk from the Church of Holy Trinity, Abbots Leigh. Thankfully, the weather was dry and the autumn colours were beautiful throughout the whole of the 9 mile walk.
We made our way up to Leigh Woods. After walking a while through the woods, we took a right turn which gradually descended towards the walking/cycle tow path alongside the River Avon. We followed the path heading towards Chapel Pill, passing the Ham Green Fishing Lakes and continuing up the hill to Ham Green where we stopped for coffee. Starting off again, we briefly walked through the village of Pill and through lanes and fields on the outskirts of Pill, passing through the recreation ground.
After Crossing the main A369, we walked up into Halls Wood which eventually led us out onto a lane leading to our lunch stop at Failand Church. The church had several benches in the grounds which provided a comfortable lunch break!
We started off again, walking up Oxhouse Lane, passing Failand House, once the home of the Fry family. This then led us through to West Tanpit Wood, Scutche’s Plantation, Fish Pond Wood and then finishing with Abbots Pool Nature Reserve. This was a very pretty wooded area with a pond and a gentle waterfall built by the Wills family.
We proceeded up stone steps out of the Reserve, finishing the walk by passing historic buildings, The Manor and The Priory.
It was an enjoyable walk and luckily, not too muddy, due to having a drier spell in the last couple of weeks!
