Staple Fitzpaine Herepath, Staple Fitzpaine, Taunton, Somerset
Everything that the great outdoors is can be appreciated to the full at the Staple Fitzpaine Herepath just a short drive from Taunton. The astonishing beauty of the Blackdown Hills, the flora and fauna in its many shapes and forms and copious amounts of fresh country air. Now that’s a recipe that’s bound to make you feel good about life, yourself, everything.
The Staple Fitzpaine Herepath is a network of cycle tracks, walking trails and bridleways that as a whole, forms a loop of just over 13.5 miles around the village of Staple Fitzpaine. The off road tracks take you through a varied landscape of coniferous and broadleaved woodlands, fields and common land; depending on the route you choose you might see longhorn cattle placidly grazing, pass through a nature reserve that’s managed by Butterfly Conservation, and through the ruins of a centuries old farmstead.
There are some steep uphill parts to the Herepath and it can be quite rough underfoot in places, especially after rain and wintry weather, but routes are waymarked so are easy to follow, and the beauty of it is that you can have a gentle stroll of a mile or so or you can step to it and go for longer hikes. It’s entirely up to you. If you’re less able bodied or have buggies and small children, you can still enjoy the views via the Easy Access Trail where there are picnic benches that entice you to linger – and why not, when laid out before you is a panoramic landscape of glorious Somerset countryside that seems to roll on and on forever!
Good starting points are Castle Neroche and Staple Hill – both have car parks. Good finishing points are The Greyhound Inn at Staple Fitzpaine or a few miles up the road at Culmhead, The Holman Clavel.
All information correct at the time of writing