| Editorial Section - Area Information, The Quantocks AONB | ||
| Sponsored by The Quantocks AONB Service |
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Contact details |
THE QUANTOCKS - AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY |
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| The Quantock Hills form a gently curving narrow ridge that runs north-west from the Vale of Taunton Deane to the Bristol Channel coastline at Kilve. It is famous for the stunning views which are reputed to stretch over nine counties and include wonderful vistas of Exmoor, the Brendon Hills, the Mendips, Dartmoor and the Brecon Beacons. The majority of the land is privately owned but Somerset County Council, Forest Enterprise and the National Trust maintain large estates in the Quantocks. Within the area is a great diversity of landforms from the hill tops heathland to broad leaf woodland and farmland. As well as providing a haven for wildlife such as buzzards and red deer, the Hills are rich in flora and fauna and have been an inspiration for important poets and artists, such as Gilpin and Coleridge. |
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| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and SSSI The Quantock Hills were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1956, as a way of protecting one of the country's finest landscapes. It was the first area in England to achieve this status. The local authorities, land owners and other interested parties that fall within its 99 square kilometres work together to conserve and enhance the landscape, economy, wildlife and cultural value. Twenty-five square kilometres of the Quantocks have also been classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and this is mainly on the heathland. |
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| The Quantock Hills AONB Service In April 2004 the Quantock Hills AONB Service, on behalf of the Quantock Hills Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) launched a new Management Plan ( The Management Plan can be viewed online at www.quantockhills.com). This contains policy and an action plan for the future protection and enhancement of the AONB. The AONB Service is financed by Somerset County Council, three District Councils and the Countryside Agency as well as many sources of funding for much of its project work. The implementation of the Management Plan involves a small team consisting of AONB Manager, Projects Officers, three Rangers and a number of volunteer Rangers. They also provide a point of call for the public, as well as walks and talks and should be contacted by anyone who wishes to hold an event in the Quantocks AONB. The Officers and Rangers are based at the Quantock Hills AONB Service, Castle Street, Nether Stowey. Call 01278 732763, or www.quantockhills.com. A Visitor Centre for the Quantock Hills is run by the Somerset Wildlife Trust at Fyne Court, Broomfield. Call 01823 451587. |
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Historic Landscape Lower down the Hills are found Saxon farmland patterns (including hedgerows and banks), as well as seventeenth and eighteenth century parkland and some magnificent stately houses. |
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| Exploring the Quantocks The Quantocks are excellent for riding, cycling and walking with a network of rights of way (150 miles worth) that are detailed on Ordnance Survey map Explorer 140. Most of the routes are clearly signposted but these are minimal in the sensitive Heathland area. The Quantock Greenway is being developed to provide a circular walk around the base of the Hills, with a range of complimentary shorter waymarked walks. |
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| Horseriding Horseriders adore the Quantocks and come to the area for peace and quiet, as well as the unspoilt countryside and panoramic views. There is a fabulous diversity of riding landscapes in such a small area, including forest plantation, ancient oak woodland, beautiful combes with streams and heathland (moor). Of the bridleways found on the Quantocks, the majority are situated on the heathland area which has open access and very few gates or obstacles. The Quantocks are especially enticing to visitors with horses as vehiclular access and parking are easy and the free-draining sandstone ensures the well maintained tracks are nearly always rideable. There is also an active stag hunt in the Quantocks. |
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Ponies on the Quantocks |
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Gilpin and the Picturesque Movement |
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| Coleridge and Wordsworth These two Romantic poets took Gilpin's approach to the Picturesque and transformed it into poetry. Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth both lived in the Quantocks where they walked the hills and, through their writings, originated the Romantic School of Poetry. Coleridge spent only three years in the Quantocks but it was here that he wrote some of his most creative works, including 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', 'Kubla Khan' and 'Frost at Midnight.' All these poems draw on the Quantocks in some way but the most direct description is found in 'This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison.' The inspiration for this poem came when he was left at home in the garden of Lime Cottage, while his friends ventured into the Hills. The poem is addressed to Charles Lamb and describes the journey across the Hills as Coleridge imagined it. Wordsworth spent a year living in Alfoxton and wrote 20 poems in this period. Most of the works describe local Quantocks scenes and characters. He particularly adored the waterfall at Holford Combe. Together with Coleridge, he co-wrote 'Lyrical Ballards' which is considered to be a landmark in English Romantic poetry. In 2001, the lives of Coleridge and Wordsworth were celebrated in a film called Pandemonium that was shot on location in the Quantocks. |
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| Quantock Hills |
The AONB Rangers not only help manage the Quantock Hills but also run a series of eductional walks throughout the year. |
| To book a place on any Ranger Event, please call 01278 435765. |
| Quantocks - Places to Visit | |
| Alfoxton Park Hotel | In 1797, Coleridge persuaded Wordsworth to come to the Quantocks and he leased Alfoxton for a short period. |
| Coleridge Cottage, Lime Street, Nether Stowey |
Now a National Trust property and home to a collection from the poet's everyday life and work. |
| Cothelstone Hill | The site of two Bronze Age burial grounds, a clump of beech trees known locally as The Seven Sisters and a herd of Exmoor Ponies. |
| Dowsborough Hill | Home to an Iron Age hill fort. |
| Fyne Court Visitor Centre, Broomfield | Headquarters of the Somerset Wildlife Trust which run the Quantocks Visitor Centre. The village is the highest in the Quantocks at 200 metres. |
| Nether Stowey | The name Stowey means 'Stoneway' and refers to a military road linking the Anglo-Saxon Royal estates of Cannington and Williton. A ruined eleventh-century motte-and-bailey castle exists at the top of Castle Street and overlooks the village and coast. The Quantock Hills AONB Service is also found in Castle Street (01278 732845). |
| Ramscombe Forest | Huge trees and the ideal place to spot red deer, buzzards and maybe even a kingfisher. |
| St Andrew's Church, Lilstock | A small, Medieval Church. Will's Neck - The highest point of the Quantocks at 384 metres. |
| USEFUL WEBSITES TO VISIT: www.quantockhills.com www.quantockonline.co.uk |
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