Part one: Somerset.
For the past 19 years I have been a teacher and tied to school holidays. Autumn half term was always welcome break from learning names and expectations from new classes and new children to the school. I had a 5 week stint back in the classroom on return from walking the Pennine Way which finished at half term, so again I was stuck with school term dates.
I managed a bit of walking, the dogs always appreciate exercise, including on the last Sunday of October a blast along the Beach from Burnham On Sea. Beautiful weather and a surprisingly lovely beach complete with a 120 year old shipwreck. The dogs had a great time and brought a surprising amount of beach into the car . Somewhere else to go back to.
A couple of days later I went to check a circular route combining some of my favourite paths starting from The Kings Arms at Charleton Hawthorn (thekingsarms.co.uk ) to Cadbury Castle and back along a section of the Monarch's Way. Blessed with more lovely autumn weather the views were as lovely as ever. On the top of Cadbury Castle, which is thought to be the site of Camelot, and even if it isn't has a fantastic proven history, I met a group of young ladies enjoying the sunshine. Probably part of the Montgomery Cheese herd.
The next day was not a walking day, instead it was apple squashing time. Some good friends had borrowed apple juicing and we all piled in together. We all brought apples along, chopped and squashed them, put the juice in old wine bottles and sterilised it. Lunch was somerset cheese and bread washed down with the freshest apple juice possible (the apples had still been on the tree that morning.)
