Where in the World Wednesday- Stockhill Woods

Where the wild things are

I’ve only recently discovered this area which considering its only 20 minutes down the road from where I have lived for 11 years is pretty bad form on my part.

Stockhill Woods is located in the Mendip Hills just outside of the village Priddy and city of Wells and is a great place to explore if you want to get out and enjoy the natural landscape. It reminds me of a pine forest we have behind our property in Australia and as soon as we got into the tree line I automatically felt transported home.

The Mendip Hills can be found in Somerset in England and and have been named as an Area of Outstanding Beauty. THis is largely due to the stunning landscapes that you can find with the gorges, limestone outcrops, hilltops, lakes and and the grasslands that make up this beautiful area.

Stockhill Wood fits within this description and even more so when you learn of its past. This is what happens when an industrial wasteland becomes an area of outstanding natural beauty.

All over the Mendip Hills there is remnants of the 200 years of Lead mining that went on in the past. Over the years with every new technology advancement the mining took on a different shaped and in turn has shaped the landscape to what you see today. The rises, gullies and trenches haven’t just happened as nature intended they were set in motion by our forefathers looking to industrialise the nation.

It really is so hard to imagine what it was in the past, when what’s been left is a mystical and picturesque landscape. You feel like fairies should be buzzing around or that Snow White and the seven dwarfs will go marching by. The sun streaming through the canopy, birds singing, and hidden delights on what you will discover with the next step. It’s a very peaceful place and whilst every time I’ve been there has been a car park full of cars I’ve only ever bumped into a handful of people walking the trails.

There are soft trails meandering through the trees or dirt tracks if you want something more solid to walk or cycle on. It does have a sign saying no horses but dogs and bikes are certainly allowed. Just make sure you pick up any dog mess. No one wants to step in that!

There is a large car park and picnic area perfect for a  sarnie and drink after your walk. It is an easy walk but if you go on the soft trails you will need to go steady. Definitely make sure you’ve got wellies or boots on as it can get pretty muddy.

You may have seen on our Instagram that we’ve recently added to our fur family with a sweet and lively little pooch called Ozzy. With this it has meant that we have a whole new type of adventuring and if these are the types of places we can start discovering I can’t ruddy wait to find more!!

You can find other great pleaces to explore in Somerset here

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Weekend Adventures- The Jurassic Coast

What surprises me most about southern England is the coastlines you can find. From the sandy beaches in Cornwall, the muddy estuaries in Somerset, pebbles beaches of Devon and Dorset and then the most stunning rugged coastlines of the Jurassic Coast.

The other half and I ventured down to the little village of Lulworth to experience this beautiful area.

All of last summer I wanted to come and visit however I’m almost glad I didn’t go in the summer and in fact went on a windy, chilly early Spring day. I think it added to the romance of the landscape also it was a little less busy.

Our first stop was at Durdle Door. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The ‘door’ and the coastline that surrounded it. The walk down to the beach is relatively easy but the walk back- jeez it was like a little gym work out. Sturdy footwear is a must. There is lots of Coast walks around the area as well that we didn’t get to do as we were only there for a day.

Durdle Door is a stunning rock formation which separates the beach and also Man O’ War Bay. The water in this area is a beautiful shade of blue and when the weather is good the swimming, snorkelling and kayaking would get you even closer to experiencing these dramatic coastlines.

Also, note for others don’t ask your partner to take a photo of you and then accidentally put your handbag by his feet. He’ll trip and almost fall off the cliff.  Not one of my finest moments.


After Exploring Durdle Door we headed down into the town and cove area to the lovely typical British seaside village of Lulworth.  It is world famous due to the unique geology of the area. The water was a little cold (bloody freezing) so no swimming or rock pooling for us but I can imagine in the summer it would be lovely. You can also take The coastal path from Lulworth cove to Durdle Door for even more views. One thing to note is the car parking pay and display covers you got both Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door so make sure you buy enough time for both.


Before heading back we stopped off at Lulworth castle. The castle is closed on weekends due to it being a very popular wedding venue. Getting married in a castle would be amazing #disneyprincess

Even though we could see inside the castle the grounds, church and exterior of the castle were spectacular. As it was slightly out of season it was really quiet but I can imagine there would be lots of picnics on the grounds and further exploring in the huge park. I even heard there were peacocks but sadly didn’t see any only spring lambs

The castle is from the 17th Century and was initially a hunting lodge for the aristocracy. It’s experienced fires and being seized by the Roundheads but is still standing and still showing so much history.

I can thoroughly recommend this area and look forward to heading back to see what other treasures the Jurassic Coast has to offer.

For more information on these areas see the following links

www.jurassiccoast.org

https://www.lulworth.com/


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