Vallis Vale, Somerset

Vallis Vale is an area of contrasts. The terrain is hugely varied, it was once home to two important local industries, and the sights and smells vary greatly from season to season. In winter the rivers are swollen and snowdrops pepper the clearings. While this walk has a set path, there are plenty of worthwhile opportunities to explore. Be aware that a few areas off the path are private property and there is a quarry railway in use near to parts of the trail – both are clearly marked and should be avoided.

From the car park, take the left-hand path down towards Egford Brook. Walk along the path for 50m until you come to a disused quarry on your right. The vale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its ancient woodland and because many of the rocky outcrops, like those before you, are of geological importance as fine examples of angular unconformity. Continue on the path for another 100m, keeping the river on your left until you reach a bridge where Mells Stream and Egford Brook merge to form Mells River. Cross the bridge; the gravel clearing here is worth exploring – it’s the remains of an old quarry depot.

Take a sharp left after the bridge, keeping Mells Stream on your left, and in 50m your should come to the first of many lime kilns that dot the path – another reminder of the area’s industrial roots. The best example of the kilns is found another 50m ahead, to your right – it’s been restored in recent years.
In 100m the path comes to a bridge, so cross the river and continue along what is now the East Mendip Way. You’ll now lose the river, but keep to the path and you’ll soon meet up with it again. Carry on for another 100m, past the disused mill until you reach a road and Great Elm village pond. Cross over this road to the kissing gate and go through, following the East Mendip Way. In 50m you’ll come to the in use quarry railway, so keep your distance and take a right over the bridge. Here the rivers Fordbury Bottom and Mells Stream meet, so once over the bridge, immediately turn right, then left, so Mells Stream is on your right. This takes you along the Wyvern Way and through some wonderfully varied terrain.

Cross the next bridge you see and make your way through the pine trees. In 200m you’ll come to a clearing and some private houses – keep to the left here, close to the river. In 500m is Fussells Ironworks, a former industrial site that is now home to several bats. Be careful when exploring this site – the safety of some of the stonework cannot be guaranteed.
Rejoin the path and keep walking until you reach a small waterfall. Carry on until you reach the road, and carefully turn left along the road into Mells, where in front of you is Little Jack Horner’s corner, the site of the famous nursery rhyme. Legend has it that Jack Horner, steward to the last Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, was sent to London to present a pie to Henry VIII with the deeds to 12 manors inside. During the journey, Horner opened the pie and pulled out a plum – the deeds to the Manor of Mells. Though records show Thomas Horner owned the manor from the 1540s, it is claimed that he purchased it, rather than pulling it out of a pie. Now continue up the road to the Talbot Inn for a well-earned pint.

Terrain

The path can get quite muddy, so walking boots or wellies are essential.

How to get there

By car: Frome is 14 miles south of Bath on the A36.

By public transport: The First bus route 267/767 runs to Frome from Bath, while the Faresaver route 267 follows a similar route, but is quicker. Trains run to Frome from Bristol Temple Meads and Bath on the Cardiff to Weymouth line. Vallis Vale is two miles from Frome station and 1½ miles from Frome town centre.

Map

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 142.
Grid ref: ST 757 484

More information 

Frome Tourist Information
2 Bridge Street
Frome, Somerset
BA11 1BB
01373 467271
www.frometouristinfo.co.uk 

The Fussells Iron
Industry Societywww.fiis.talktalk.net