Brent Knoll & Berrow Sands 11.7 Miles Grade

Starts at Church Road, East Brent

5 hours 46 minutes | 11.7miles 18.8km | Moderate

ID: 0.1462 | Developed by: Harvey Reynolds | Checked by: Edward Levy | www.ramblersroutes.org

At the start of this walk you ascend Brent Knoll, from which height you can see the rest of the route, which heads to and from a stretch along Berrow Beach mostly via fields. This walk gets the hill (mostly) out of the way at the start.

Main Route Alternative Route Point of Interest Waypoint

Distance: 18.72km Ascent: 165m Descent: 165m Route Profile 160

120

Height (m) 40

0 0.0 1.3 2.4 3.5 4.6 5.6 6.6 7.7 9.1 10.5 11.7 12.8 13.8 14.9 16.1 17.1 18.1

*move mouse over graph to see points on route The Ramblers is Britain’s walking charity. We work to safeguard the footpaths, countryside and other places where we all go walking. We encourage people to walk for their health and wellbeing. To become a member visit www.ramblers.org.uk Starts at Walk starts from the phone box at the end of Church Road, East Brent, Somerset

Ends at Church Road, East Brent

Getting there Arrive in East Brent on the B3140 Brent Road.

Find a side street to park in East Brent, then walk to the telephone box to start the walk.

Route instructions [1] Head down Church Road and through the gates of the Church. Pass into the churchyard, turn left following the footpath signs. You will be directed on a detour around a school playground and reach a stile by a gate. Cross stile and then bearing slightly to the right ascend the hill, passing through two kissing gates on way up. The final section is very steep and can be slippery when wet. On reaching the top follow the path going straight across the top.

(A) Brent Knoll's size and isolated position on the levels mean that it dominates the landscape and can be seen for many miles, and its prominence is emphasised to travellers because the Bristol to Taunton railway line, M5 Motorway, A370 and A38 roads all pass within a mile or less from its base. From the top of Brent Knoll, you will see the coast in the distance and if you are able to review the walk you will be able to trace where you will be walking. Those with keen eyes may also be able to see one of the lighthouses. There is a viewpointer on the top which aids identification of the 360 degree view.

[2] After passing the Jubilee Bonfire stone watch for steps descending to the left and on reaching them turn left and descend, before passing through kissing gate.

Follow the path downwards as it skirts the edge of the field. The path turns right, then left again before heading through trees at the rear of Brent Knoll Church. You should then emerge onto Church Lane, next to the Church in the village of Brent Knoll, where you should turn left. Follow the road down to the main road, then turn right and look out for the footpath sign on the left hand side of the road.

[3] Turn left onto this path and pass through a field with some allotments at the back of the houses. Following the right of way, passing over a small sleeper bridge followed by a wooden footbridge.

[4] Go straight on at this point until a stile is reached on the right. Cross the stile and another straight ahead in a short distance and pass into a field. Follow the path with hedgerow on the right until the point where the hedgerow turns sharp right. Here bear diagonally left and cross the field to reach a gate at the rail foot crossing. Carefully cross the railway line, then three fields where after crossing a stile you will arrive in a lane.

[5] Turn right and follow the lane, which later becomes a hedge-lined path.

[6] At the junction with a bridleway (signed) turn left through a gate. This path soon reaches a track, which leads into the town of Burnham-on-Sea, passing back gardens and eventually becoming a side road. When you reach the end of the road, turn right, then almost immediately left to head down to the main B road. Turn left along this. Shortly you will see a light house on the right which has been turned into a house.

(B) Burnham's pillar lighthouse had a paraffin-fired light and is a hundred feet in height. It quickly became a tourist attraction with many visitors climbing the spiral staircase to view the coasts of South Wales and North Devon. It is now a private house on the Berrow Road and has been inactive since 1993. Measuring 30m (99ft) tall, it is a brick tower with a conical roof and a half gallery on the front which incorporated the keeper's quarters. It is located on Berrow Road, about 500m east of the low lighthouse, and now provides holiday accommodation to tourists all year round.

[7] Take the second turning on the right, marked 'no vehicular access to the beach (Gore Road). At the end of the road, you will see a footpath on your right. Follow this as it winds around behind the houses.

[8] After a short while, you will arrive on the beach. The second lighthouse should be not far in front of you.

(C) After the Pillar Lighthouse building was completed it was found that too low a vantage point had been selected to take into account the massive rise and fall of the tides, so a lighthouse on legs was built in 1832 to complement the tower. The Low Lighthouse lights were inactive between 1969 and 1993 and were re-established on 31 December 1993. The lighthouse is painted white with a single vertical red stripe on its front face and is 9m tall with a conical roof and mounted on 9 timber pilings. It remains an active aid to navigation and is visited by many thousands of walkers every year.

Turn right along the beach to continue the walk.

(D) On the beach at low tide the wreck of the Norwegian sailing ship SS Nornen, which ran aground in 1897 becomes exposed. The two islands out in the Bristol Channel are Steep and Flat Holm. Steep Holm is the closer. Flat Holm can be distinguished by the lighthouse which shows clearly on sunny days. The high-rise buildings of Cardiff on the opposite shore can been seen clearly on days of good visibility.

Keep heading along the beach for just over 2 miles. The final part of the beach walk passes through wooden posts that delineate the end of the Berrow Beach Car Park.

[9] Continue along the beach to the far end of the car park where you should turn right to leave by the beach access road.

Go down the road to the end. At the end of the road turn right, then pass through the entrance of a caravan park on the other side of the road, on your left. Follow the road, which almost bends back on itself and then after approximately 300 yards, take the first turning on the right . Cross a junction and pass by a duck pond on your left.

Eventually as you continue in this direction, you pass a dog walking area between some trees and shortly after crossing a park road emerge from the caravan park onto a main road.

[10] Cross carefully and go ahead down a track opposite.

[11] After approximately 3/4 mile turn right on a signed path through a gate and walk ahead with Rhyne on your left.

As an alternative route at [11] and so as to avoid walking along the busy B road from Berrow to Brent Knoll, continue straight ahead along the bridleway which becomes a surfaced road leading to a "T" junction. At this junction, turn right and rejoin the main route at the road junction ahead [12].

If you have walked the main route, look out for a stile on your left and cross it into a field. Walk alongside the hedge on your right to the corner of the field. Exit field over a footbridge and cross a track, before entering the next field by crossing a footbridge. Turn right and go ahead to pass through a gate and then bear left to cross a field diagonally to reach a footbridge. Cross the footbridge and continue in the same direction to cross a further footbridge.

When you approach a farm, the right of way bends back right and then passes through the drive of a house to end on a Ham Road, which you can see from the field. At the road, turn left and head back toward Brent to end on a Ham Road, which you can see from the field. At the road, turn left and head back toward Brent Knoll, crossing a railway bridge as you go.

[12] At the "T" junction you will see a footpath opposite and slightly to the left directing you down a back alley . Head up the alley, then up a short but steep climb part-way up Brent Knoll. At the top turn left, then follow the path as it bends around a water treatment plant. Shortly after this emerge into a field, crossing a stile on your left and then bear right and head across a field.

Cross five further fields (in some of which there are usually cattle grazing on the other side of an electric fence). In the final field, follow direction arrow downhill into a dip lost in the bushes to find a stile crossing footbridge. Cross the stile and footbridge and follow the path up the short ,steep climb through bushes. When you emerge from the bushes, turn left into a field and at gate ahead cross a stile to the road. Turn left on the road.

In a short distance on the other side of the road, cross over a stile on your right into a field overlooking the church. At the bottom of field a gate takes you onto a path through the graveyard and you can pass down this back to the churchyard and Church Road, where you began the walk.

Notes The Somerset Levels are notoriously wet and muddy in winter months and so it is not recommend walking this route between the months of October and March when it is likely that the way ahead may become impassable due to mud and floodwater.

There may be refreshments available in the car park zone of Berrow Beach.

Public Conveniences are located on the keft hand side of the access road as you leave Berrow Beach.

http://Burnham-on-sea.com

Acknowledgements Developed by: Harvey Reynolds Checked by: Edward Levy Edited by: Liz Cronin Burnham Pillar Lighthouse Photo taken by: Edward Levy

Burnham Beach and Low Lighthouse. Photo taken by: Edward Levy

Burnham Low Lighthouse and Beach Walkers Photo taken by: Edward Levy

Wreck of S S Noren Photo taken by: Edward Levy Brent Knoll from The Levels Photo taken by: Edward Levy