Start and parking : Library car park in Castle Street, Nether Stowey. GR®: ST190395
(S/E) Leave the Library car park and turn left down Castle Street
(1) In the centre of the village, pass The Cross, turn left up Lime Street. Just past Coleridge Cottage, turn right up slope past the Village Hall. Go through a wooden kissing gate onto the grass verge of the busy A39. Bear diagonally right to cross the road opposite the ‘Cricketer Farm’ sign and marked footpath. Extreme care needs to be taken here.
(2) Turn left following the track uphill to the ‘T’ junction at the top. Turn right and continue on the track to the next junction. You now begin to get views across the Severn Estuary to South Wales, the islands of Steep Holm and Flat Holm and towards Burnham on Sea plus views to the River Parrett and Bridgwater. At a farm gate, go through the metal kissing gate and go straight ahead keeping the field boundary on your right. At the next gate, go through a second kissing gate and continue downhill. At the bottom of the field go straight ahead passing a small copse on the left.
(3) At the next ‘T’ junction, turn right down a farm track. After a few metres, Nether Stowey Church tower comes into view ahead of you. After some farm buildings on the left, turn left at a crossing of tracks. Go through a farm gate and keep straight ahead passing a large red brick house on the left. Follow the track round to the right until you reach the A39 at the end. Carefully cross the A39 and take the road opposite to New Stowey Farm.
(4) Go right through the metal gate by the farm gate and straight through the farmyard. Go through a second metal gate and follow the footpath alongside the farm keeping the hedge on your right. Continue to follow the path alongside houses to gate onto a lane at the end. Turn right along South Lane crossing junctions to Banneson Road and Wilson’s Close. Shortly after this, after Highbeer Close, take the marked footpath on left through kissing gate and follow it to the end.
(5) Go diagonally right and slightly uphill across the field to iron kissing gate. Go through the gate into a small parking area and crossroad. Between Mount Cottage and a farm gate, go through a metal kissing gate onto the remains of Nether Stowey Castle. There is an information board that explains the history of the castle.
(6) As you approach the castle mount, there is a footpath to the right at the base of the mount. Follow the path around the base of the mount anti-clockwise until you are halfway round. There is a track going steeply down between the last bungalow and the pine trees. Go through a metal kissing gate and down some steps into Butcher’s Lane. Go right up the lane and down the other side to join Castle Hill. Turn left down Castle Hill continuing down Castle Street, crossing Channel Close and Mount Road, back to the Library car park (S/E)
