Quantock Hills Walks: In the Shadow of the Ridge
- Martin Hesp
- 51 minutes ago
- 7 min read
The Quantock Hills have loomed over my life. Having been born and bred in their shadow, they really are woven into my humble existence. As a boy, growing up in a lonely cottage beneath the western ridge, this beautiful upland was not merely a scenic backdrop - the hills were an ancient, living presence teeming with stories and the long hoary arm of the past. They were filled with local lore, and - always - they seemed to send whispers of the wild down from their untamed heights.
The terrible secondary modern school I went to had a magnificent view of them - which was by far the best thing about the place. I spent five years ignoring our teachers and gazing longingly out of a window up at the soft curves of their green summits.
It was my grandmother who first planted the seed of their mystery. She grew up in Crowcombe, then moved to nearby Stogumber - and as an elderly woman she would still vividly recall the day that she and her five sister were frightened off the high commons by a ‘broomsquire’. She was out picking whortleberries with her sisters and the broomsquires were, she always told me, a strange, insular breed of itinerant hill-folk who lived in basic heather-thatched hovels up in the high coombes. To make a living they burned charcoal and, in season, harvested wild broom to make besoms, those domestic brooms witches are supposed too ride around on.
According to my grandmother, these strange upland people wanted nothing whatsoever to do with civilised folk from the quiet vales below. So that, for a start, set them apart in my imaginative young mind - and the fact that granny reckoned they always wore long blue cloaks only heightened the enigma of the broomsquires.
Years later, my old newspaper editor, the legendary Jack Hurley, had me spellbound with the dark, tragic tale of the hanging of broomsquire Johnny Walford, somewhere up in the hills. It happened some 220 years ago, but Jack’s telling was so evocative, I knew then I would one day have to write a book set amid those neighbouring ridges.
The result was my novel, The Last Broomsquire. Into that yarn I wove everything the Quantocks mean to me: the Romantic poets wandering the lanes, the smugglers slipping inland from the Bristol Channel, the charcoal-burners, the madmen, and Broomfield’s eccentric squire Andrew Crosse, who famously harnessed lightning bolts in his laboratory to see if electricity could create life.
The Quantocks were designated Britain’s very first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - or National Landscape, as the modern mandarins prefer to call them - and they remain a walker’s paradise. To help you explore this enchanting upland, here are four of the best accessible circular walks that capture the magic of the hills.
Route Overview
Walk Route | Distance | Grade & Terrain | Key Highlights | Map Reference |
1. Central Ridge & Coombes | 4.5 miles | Energetic climb; easy high ridge paths | Trendle Ring, Thorcombe Barrow, Halsway Manor | OS Explorer 140 |
2. Aisholt & Sylvan Glens | 6.0 miles | Moderate; steady ascent to ridge | Triscombe Stone, historic Aisholt, Lydeard Hill | OS Explorer 140 |
3. Cothelstone Hill & Seven Sisters | 2.5 miles | Gentle & easy | Exmoor ponies, Seven Sisters beeches, 14-county panoramic view | OS Explorer 140 |
4. Dowsborough's Wooded Dome | 3.5 miles | Easy to moderate; short gradients | Ancient sessile oaks, Iron Age hill-fort, Wilmot's Pool | OS Explorer 140 |
1. The Central Quantock Ridge and Coombes
The Route: Head up the steep, unremitting ascent of Short Coombe, near the village of Bicknoller. It is a breathless, heart-pounding slog, but you are rewarded with sweeping views over the West Somerset vale towards Exmoor. Near the top, pass the massive Iron Age ramparts of Trendle Ring. Bear around the spur dividing Short from Long Coombe and continue up to Thorcombe Barrow. Here, follow an ancient, wind-twisted beech hedge south-east along the high contours above Paradise Combe. Descend along the nameless coombe toward Halsway Manor - the national centre for folk arts - before cutting right along the lower moorland contours above the fields to re-enter the foot of Long Coombe.
Distance & Terrain: 4.5 miles; energetic climb, otherwise easy paths.
Map: OS Explorer 140.
2. Aisholt and the Sylvan Glens
The poet Sir Henry Newbolt once described the area around the hamlet of Aisholt as “that beloved valley” and (somewhat aiming a pistol at his own foot) prayed no one would ever spread its fame. Tucked into the eastern flanks of the central hills, it remains one of the most idyllic corners of the West Country.
The Route: Start at the Triscombe Stone car park atop the main ridge. Walk south-east along the broad path for half a mile. Where the track splits, take the eastern path skirting the woodland, soaking up panoramic views across the Somerset Levels toward the Mendips. Follow the ancient beech bank down the dramatic amphitheatre toward Aisholt, turning right down an unmarked path past Higher Aisholt Farm to reach the tiny, historic hamlet. From the 14th-century church, follow the lane uphill, taking the public footpath south to Tuck’s Barn. Climb over the fields to the lane at Luxborough (not the Brendon Hill village of that name), head right through Much Care Wood, and emerge onto the breezy heights of Lydeard Hill. From the summit, stroll north past Middle Hill and Black Knap back to Triscombe Stone.
Distance & Terrain: 6 miles; moderate going with a steady climb back up to the ridge.
Map: OS Explorer 140.
3. Cothelstone Hill and the Seven Sisters
If you want world-class views with minimal effort, Cothelstone Hill - the highest summit at the southern end of the range at 332 metres - is pretty much unbeatable. Two centuries ago, the historian Collinson claimed that on a clear day, the eye could command 14 counties and 150 church towers from this breezy knoll.
The Route: First you need to find Cothelstone Hill - leave the M5 at Junction 24 and take the quiet lane through North Petherton, Goathurst, and Broomfield to reach the hilltop car park near the Pines cafe crossroads. Follow the way-marked Quantock Ranger path (marked by wooden posts with green discs) anticlockwise around the access land toward Park End. Head south across the open common to the summit, where you will encounter the resident herd of free-roaming Exmoor ponies and the remains of the ancient beech clump known as the Seven Sisters. From the trees, turn left and track east above Paradise Combe, returning through the dappled shade of Buncombe Wood to the car park.
Distance & Terrain: 2.5 miles; gentle, easy walking throughout.
Map: OS Explorer 140.
4. Dowsborough, the Wooded Dome
Unlike the open, bald heathland characterising most Quantock summits, Dowsborough stands aloof - a mysterious, rounded eminence blanketed in ancient sessile oak woods, crowned by an impressive Iron Age hill-fort.
The Route: Park at Crowcombe Park Gate (grid ref ST155378) on the high spine road. Head north across the heather-clad flanks of Black Hill, pausing by the peat-dark waters of Wilmot’s Pool, a favourite watering hole for the local red deer. Drop down into the secluded hollow of Lady’s Combe, an ideal haunt for migratory cuckoos in spring. Take the path climbing around the western contours of Dowsborough to reach its wooded, 7-acre ramparts, which open out to deliver magnificent aerial views over the Bristol Channel and the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm. Traverse the fort and swing south-east across Robin Upright’s Hill, meandering over the high open common to return to Crowcombe Park Gate.
Distance & Terrain: 3.5 miles; easy to moderate with short gradients.
Map: OS Explorer 140.
Whether you choose the stiff climb up Bicknoller’s coombes or the gentle stroll around Cothelstone’s beeches, these hills offer an intoxicating blend of wilderness and history. Take an afternoon to wander their ancient paths - you will soon see why they have held me captive for an entire lifetime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the Quantock Hills located?
The Quantocks lie in the heart of Somerset, stretching roughly 12 miles from the Vale of Taunton Deane northwest to the shores of the Bristol Channel near Watchet and Kilve.
Why were the Quantocks designated as Britain’s first AONB?
In 1956, the Quantocks were declared Britain's very first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now designated a National Landscape) because of their pristine, diverse terrain comprising open heathland, deep wooded coombes, historic parklands, and exposed sea cliffs within a remarkably compact area.
What was a broomsquire?
Broomsquires were itinerant upland dwellers who lived in simple turfed or heather-thatched shelters across the West Country heaths. They coppiced wild birch, cut heather, and gathered wild broom to hand-craft traditional besom brooms, supplementing their trade with seasonal charcoal burning and whortleberry harvesting.
Are the Quantock Hills suitable for beginner walkers?
Yes. While climbs from villages like Bicknoller up the western escarpment are steep, walks starting from the ridge-top car parks (such as Triscombe Stone, Crowcombe Park Gate, or Cothelstone Hill) provide gentle gradients and panoramic views with minimal climbing.
What map do I need for walking the Quantocks?
The entire range is covered in detailed scale by Ordnance Survey OS Explorer 140 (Quantock Hills & Bridgwater) at 1:25,000.
