Walks from Hunter's Moon and around Glastonbury

Some excellent walking starts at our gate. Pennard Hill has bridleways and field paths with views to the Tor; the Somerset Levels below are flat, quiet and full of birds; and within half an hour's drive are the Mendip Hills, Cheddar Gorge and the Polden ridge. Bring boots: this is Somerset, and the Levels are wet for a reason.

Walks from the door

Bradley Way, the lane outside the gate, is a quiet no-through road for heavy vehicles. Footpaths and bridleways lead off it across Pennard Hill, through cider orchards to West Bradley and Baltonsborough, and up to West Pennard and the A361, where the Lion at Pennard makes a natural turning point (about two miles each way). Ordnance Survey Explorer map 141 (Cheddar Gorge and Mendip Hills West) covers the area, and there is a copy in the house.

Glastonbury Tor

The classic walk. Park in Glastonbury or at the small Tor car park on Wellhouse Lane, or take the summer park-and-ride, and climb the concrete path to St Michael's Tower, about twenty minutes and 518 feet. The views stretch across the Levels to the Mendips, the Quantocks and Wales. Go at sunrise for the mist and to have it almost to yourself, and combine it with the Chalice Well gardens at the bottom. A longer loop takes in Wearyall Hill and the town.

The Avalon Marshes heritage walks

The Avalon Marshes Centre has produced twelve circular heritage walks to help you get the best from the Levels, all free to download from avalonmarshes.org. They are flat, well waymarked and rich in history and wildlife:

The Baltonsborough walk starts three miles from the cottage and follows the River Brue through the meadows where St Dunstan was born.

Hills and gorges

• Cheddar Gorge cliff-top circuit (4 miles, strenuous): both rims of Britain's largest gorge, with Jacob's Ladder steps and the lookout tower.
• Ebbor Gorge (2 miles, moderate): a wooded National Nature Reserve near Wookey Hole with a rocky scramble to a viewpoint.
• Black Down and Burrington Combe (5 miles): the roof of the Mendips, open heather moor at 1,068 feet.
• Collard Hill and the Poldens (3 miles, easy): National Trust downland above Street with large blue butterflies in June.
• Cadbury Castle (1.5 miles, short and steep): the Iron Age hill fort near Sparkford identified with Camelot, ten miles from the cottage.
• Ham Hill Country Park (16 miles): the honey-coloured hill fort that supplied Somerset's building stone, with a pub on top.

The best walks in Somerset

For longer and wilder walks, Wanderlust magazine's guide to the eight best walks in Somerset ranges from Cheddar Gorge and the Tor to the postcard village of Selworthy on Exmoor, and Countryfile has its own selection of Somerset walks. The South West Coast Path starts at Minehead, an hour and a quarter away; see coast and Exmoor.

Walking with dogs

All of these walks work with dogs on leads; our dog walks page picks the best ones for four-legged guests, with dog-friendly pubs along the way.