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WALK 1
Circular walk from Buckland Monachorum to Milton Combe and back via Buckland Abbey
About 2 hours if you don’t stop too often.
Starting from the Drake Manor in the Middle of the village of Buckland Monachorum
The church is on your right. and you start by following a path which goes around the churchyard wall past the old school house now a private house and through a kissing gate (soon to be demolished) and crosses a stone stile. At the path junction immediately beyond the stile, turn right and walk down to the river passing the Buckland Memorial Meadow on your left. G o through another kissing gate (which is also soon to be demolished) and cross a footbridge. On the other side, carry straight on up the field with the hedge boundary on your right and through a gap in a line of trees and continue to follow the right-hand boundary until you emerge on to the lane leading into the village from Crapstone.
Turn left and after about 50 yards on the other side of the road climb over a stile into a field, following the footpath sign. Keep to the right of the field and eventually you will come to a stile on your left; cross it and go half-left across the field to another stile. Go straight on along the track on the other side. It takes you through two gates; continue to follow the track along the edge of two fields until you emerge through a gate onto another lane. Cross it into another lane (signposted to Venton and Stokehill). After about 500 yards the lane takes a sharp turn to the left; go straight on through a gate, where there is a public footpath sign. The footpath is not well trodden so aim for a point approximately in the middle of the field and you will come to a track; bear left and follow it to a gate. Follow the track along the left-hand side of the next field to another gate. Go through the gate and a few more yards will bring you to a small bridge over a very small stream. Turn left immediately beyond it. When you get to the end of the field, follow the boundary round to the right up to a small gate. Keep to the left of the next field to reach a gate onto a lane.
Following the footpath signs Cross the lane to a gate and cross the field on the other side to another gate. Keep to the left of the next field to yet another gate leading onto a track. Turn off right and go down to cross the wooden bridge that can be a little slippery if wet. On the other side of the bridge go through a kissing gate into a lane and turn left. F ollow the very narrow little lane up a hill and at the junction bear right and keep going uphill and soon you will cross a cattle grid and enter a moorland area which is the very edge of Roborough Down.. At the next T-jun ction turn right and almost immediately left over a stile into a field. Keep to the left by the hedge and at the end cross a stile onto a track which is very very muddy. Follow the track through more gates with stiles alongside. When the track turns l eft into a field carry straight on along a wide path.
At the end cross a stile onto a much clearer track used by vehicles; and turn right .Go past the gateway to Keepers Cottage and eventually you reach a junction on a bend where you bear left and follow the track down to the village of Milton Combe . being very careful towards the bottom where it can be very slippery on the exposed rock.
At the bottom turn right and soon you will reach the “The Who’d Have Thought It” village pub where it is now probably time to stop for some refreshment. With the pub on your right climb the steep road out of the village . At the junction at the top of the hill, go straight across and over a stone stile in the hedge. Follow the path on the other side passing the bus turning circle and then cross new stile into a field. Go through a gate, across a track and go through another gate. At the end of the next field go through yet another gate and cross a drive which leads down to Buckland Abby. (Well worth a visit) Go through a kissing gate into a field, all well marked by yellow way marking signs Keep to the left to reach a kissing gate into a wood. After a short distance you will come to another metal kissing gate; go through and cross a lane to yet another kissing gate. Follow the path up through the wood to the last kissing gate, which takes you out onto a road and turn left. It can be quite a busy lane and is used by buses so if you are lucky you might catch a ride back to Buckland Monachorum but if not but there is a very wide verge to walk on. After a while you will come to a T junction go straight on (signposted to Buckland Monachorum).There is now no verge or footpath so take care. After about 5 to 6 hundred yards turn right and take the first turning on the left in to Modyford Walk. When you reach the bottom of the hill and the sharp bend to the left turn right and in 50 yards you will emerge right opposite The Drake Manor Inn where you can treat yourself to a well earned drink.
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