Staple Hill, Staple Fitzpaine, Taunton, Somerset
The highest point in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset, Staple Hill is a conifer plantation owned and looked after by the Forestry Commission. People go there to walk and to connect with nature; some might linger for a picnic, some might be looking out for wildlife, but mostly, it’s a popular spot for walking because there are trails you can follow and because the views are incredible.
The beauty of it is that you can walk as far or little as you like; there’s a car park and from there you head off into the woods and decide which of the waymarked routes you want to follow. Some are used by cyclists, and there’s an Easy Access Viewpoint Trail that’s suitable for wheelchair users, mobility scooters and buggies. The vista is spectacular, reaching for miles and miles across the Vale of Taunton – on a clear day you can see across the Bristol Channel to the Welsh coast.
Depending on which way you go you might stroll through the nature reserve that’s manged by Butterfly Conservation, see Longhorn Cattle grazing and walk through the curious ruins of an old farmstead that borders common land. Unless you think you need the exercise, don’t make a route march of it, just take your time and enjoy it, take it all in. All that fresh air will put colour in your cheeks and it will make you feel peckish so think ahead and tie in your walk with lunch at a country pub nearby – The Holman Clavel at Culmhead and The Greyhound Inn at Staple Fitzpaine are both good.
Grid Ref: ST 246159 (height restrictions)
All information correct at the time of writing