Families looking for affordable ways to enjoy the countryside this summer are being encouraged to explore the Wylye Valley using a guidebook by local author John Price.
Family Days in the Wylye Valley features 25 short and easy walks, five low-traffic cycle rides and several treasure hunts across the valley.
The 170-page book includes walks ranging from 2.2 miles to seven miles, together with Ordnance Survey maps, practical information, public transport options, details of nearby pubs and historical background about the places featured.
John Price said, “We constantly hear that spending time in nature is good for our wellbeing. This book will enable you to immerse yourself in the beautiful downs that surround the Wylye Valley. Most of the walks are accessible by bus, so your day out could cost you virtually nothing.”
Asked to pick out one walk for special mention, John chose a wander around Codford, Sherrington and Boyton Down.
“A good centre to start your family expeditions is Codford, where there is adequate parking, a village tearoom and a shop,” he said. “There are three walks starting from Codford in the book and probably my favourite is a five-mile circular route that passes through Sherrington and over Boyton Down (Walk No. 13).
“Sherrington together with Fisherton De La Mare are my favourite villages in the whole of the valley. Sherrington is a very pretty village with several 16th and 17th Century thatched cottages and a beautiful watercress pond situated against a background of thatched, red brick houses.
“This pond used to produce several tons of cress each year, but production came to an end in 1976. It is possible to cross the pond by a causeway made of sleepers. We once had a lovely picnic there, sitting on the sleepers, at a half-way point on a cycle ride. We were attended by the two mute swans who always seem to be there. They were inquisitive but very friendly.
“The church is a very attractive surprise and has much of interest and dates originally from the late 13th or early 14th centuries. Fortunately, it seems to be kept open during the day so visitors can respectfully explore it.
“The Church of St Cosmos and St Damian is named after two middle eastern saints who were reputedly twin brothers and were martyred. It was rebuilt around 1624 and many of the features of the older church were used in the new; for example the west and east window, and the windows in the north and the south walls of the chancel.
“The most interesting aspect of the church are the wall-texts, painted on the walls surrounded by pillar and scroll decorations. Like many church decorations these were painted over in Elizabethan and Jacobean times. The texts were uncovered in 1939 by a Miss Janet Becker, a well-known restorer.
“The book is the perfect guide to an inexpensive family day out in our local area. It is printed in full colour with beautiful photographs of the places visited on the walks and rides, and will fit easily into the pocket of a hiking jacket.”
Priced at £13.99 the book is available from Coates & Parker in Warminster, Lakeside Garden Centre in Crockerton or can be ordered direct by emailing info@wayaheadpublishing.co.uk
Above: John Price
