Alfred’s Tower to North Cadbury
17 Miles
Mist hung over this part of Dorset when I set off this morning and this made very good walking conditions. I was able to keep up a good place through the woodlands from Alfred’s Tower. The tower is 160ft high (work out your own metric) and is three-sided. It was erected in 1772 to mark the place where Alfred had apparently raised his standard to repel the Danes in 878. With the trouble I have had with directions in this area I don’t know how they can have been so sure this was the right spot after 900 years.
Once I had left the woodlands above Stourhead it was much the same as yesterday, a succession of farm fields (and no rapeseed again!) There were however two places worthy of note.
First, and I kid you not, I came across the Sexey School! This genuinely exists in the village of Bruton, and to complete the Carry On scenario it is a Church of England Boarding School. You may now be expecting a whole set of cheap jokes about Sexey Schoolgirls but I have my standards to uphold.
The second place of note was Castle Carey. This is a lovely little town full of old buildings and small shops. The town was the home of Douglas Macmillan who founded the Macmillan Cancer Support charity, the very reason for the walk I am undertaking. Don’t forget, all donations to www.justgiving.com/macway
The walk out of Castle Carey followed along a ridge giving me excellent views of the surrounding countryside. The ridge eventually descended to North Cadbury which was the end point for the day.
I am slightly ahead of the game now. 249 miles completed, 41 remaining.
Keith - You had not yet reached Dorset. - King Alfred's Tower, also known as The Folly of King Alfred the Great or Stourton Tower, is a folly tower. It is in the parish of Brewham in the English county of Somerset, and was built as part of the Stourhead estate and landscape. The tower stands on Kingsettle Hill and belongs to the National Trust.
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