Day 3 Our Third Walk - Round the Back of Somerton

This walk goes under various names but Mary insists on "Round the Back of Somerton" though of course this depends on which side of Somerton you might regard as being the front.  It has also been called "Round the Back Side of Somerton" (might not be appropriate) and could easily be called "Circumnavigating Somerton" because that is pretty much what this walk does.

Cold enough today for the muddy sections of this walk to be crisp and not boggy under foot, the walk follows minor roads, footpaths, lanes and crosses fields to achieve the objective of walking around our town.  The last time we had attempted this was on Boxing Day and the pace was slow due to our three year old granddaughter being part of the family expedition.  The compensation on that occasion was that we included a detour to The White Hart for drinks.  Today, no deviation from the planned route which provided lots of fresh air, a bit of exercise and a further 3.3 miles to add to this week's walk mileage.

Starting on the northern edge of Somerton local roads are used around the west side of the town, before passing under the railway and following field paths on the south of the built up area.  The view north from here is largely one of the slate and tiled roofs of the blue lias stone buildings of the town, the church clock tower of St Michael and All Angels and the hideous almost orange tiles of the care home Wessex House.  To the south, fields stretch away into the distance.

The walk drops down to the mill stream and then picks up the road through Lower Somerton.  Taking once again to a footpath we cross the mill stream and climb the slope to the Millands and then on into New Street.  From here we turn right along North Street, cross Behind Berry at the mini roundabout before the next path takes us into the Cary Valley, under the railway viaduct and down to the Viaduct Fisheries.  Then we climb once more and arrive at Etsome Terrace before turning west and walking back to our start point.

3.3 miles