The Liberty Trail is a 28-mile (45.1 km) trail between Ham Hill in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Herita ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, England.

History

The route of the Liberty Trail route is based on information recorded by six

rebels Rebels may refer to: * Participants in a rebellion * Rebel groups, people who refuse obedience or order * Rebels (American Revolution), patriots who rejected British rule in 1776 Film and television * ''Rebels'' (film) or ''Rebelles'', a 2019 ...

from various villages in Somerset and Dorset. Villagers from the two counties made their way to join the Protestant

Monmouth Rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, the Revolt of the West or the West Country rebellion, was an attempt to depose James II, who in February 1685 succeeded his brother Charles II as king of England, Scotland and Ir ...

in 1685. The rebels wore green sprigs tucked into their hats to declare their support for the

Duke of Monmouth Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

. Weapons that they carried included farm

scythes Scythes ( grc, Σκύθης, ''Skýthi̱s'') was tyrant or ruler of Zancle in Sicily. He was appointed to that post in about 494 BC by Hippocrates of Gela. The Zanclaeans had contacted Ionian leaders to invite colonists to join them in founding a ...

and other suitable agricultural tools.

Route

Ham Hill is at its highest point, and Lyme Regis is at sea level. Below are six possible walking stages that may be used to traverse the Liberty Trail: * Ham Hill to West Chinnock - - 1.75 hours *West Chinnock to Misterton - - 2.5 hours *Misterton to

Wayford Wayford is a village and civil parish on the River Axe, south-west of Crewkerne, in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. History The parish was part of the hundred of Crewkerne. Wayford Manor House was rebuilt around 1600 by Cha ...

- - 2 hours *Wayford to

Thorncombe Thorncombe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It was historically, until 1844, an exclave of Devon. It lies five miles (8 km) south east of the town of Chard in neighbouring Somerset. Thorncombe is situated ...

- - 3 hours *Thorncombe to

Wootton Fitzpaine Wootton Fitzpaine is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in South West England. It lies approximately north-east of Lyme Regis in a small side valley of the River Char, close to the Marshwood Vale. The civil parish covers an area ...

- - 2.75 hours *Wootton Fitzpaine to

- - 2 hours

Places of interest

At Ham Hill there are links with other Trails including the

Monarch's Way The Monarch's Way is a long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. It runs from Worcester via Bristol and Yeovil to Shoreham, West Sus ...

Leland Trail The Leland Trail is a footpath in Somerset, England. It was named after the antiquary John Leland, and runs from King Alfred's Tower in Penselwood, southwest to Ham Hill Country Park near Yeovil. History The path was established by creating ...

and

River Parrett Trail The River Parrett Trail is a long-distance footpath that can be used for walking, jogging, or running, following the route of the River Parrett in Somerset, England. The trail, which is long, runs from Chedington in Dorset to the mouth of the ...

. Ham Hill Iron Age Hill Fort is one of the largest in Europe. Many local buildings are made from the local yellow

Hamstone Hamstone is the name given to a honey-coloured building stone from Ham Hill, Somerset, England. It is a well-cemented medium to coarse grained limestone characterised by marked bedding planes of clay inclusions and less well-cemented material w ...

. At

Clapton Court Clapton Court is a Grade II listed building, in Clapton in Gordano within the English county of Somerset. Local lords of the manor, the Arthur family originally built on the site. The current porch tower remains from the 15th-century house; th ...

Gardens, one of Somerset's more historic gardens that are open to the public.

Forde Abbey Forde Abbey is a privately owned former Cistercian monastery in Dorset, England, with a postal address in Chard, Somerset. The house and gardens are run as a tourist attraction while the estate is farmed to provide additional revenue. Forde Abbe ...

is situated on a curved section of the River Axe, its original purpose was as a

Cistercian Monastery The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

. It has a garden of some elegance which has won many awards. At this location the Dorset

Jubilee Trail {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 ''Jubilee Trail'' is a novel written by Gwen Bristow, copyrighted in 1950. It follows the adventures of two strong women in the mid-19th century as they travel across the United States to the then-Mexican territo ...

crosses over the path of the Liberty Trail. Two other Iron Age Hill Forts may be seen at this stage, the first one is

Lambert's Castle Lambert's Castle is an Iron Age hillfort in the county of Dorset in southwest England.

and further on is

Coney's Castle Coney's Castle is an Iron Age hillfort in Dorset, England. The name ''Coney'' is from the Old English for ''rabbit'' (Latin '' cuniculus''), suggesting medieval use as a domestic warren, as at nearby Pilsdon Pen. The fort is on a narrow north ...

. During clear weather conditions

Chesil Beach Chesil Beach (also known as Chesil Bank) in Dorset, England is one of three major shingle beach structures in Britain.A. P. Carr and M. W. L. Blackley, "Investigations Bearing on the Age and Development of Chesil Beach, Dorset, and the Associat ...

and

Portland Bill Portland Bill is a narrow promontory (or bill) at the southern end of the Isle of Portland, and the southernmost point of Dorset, England. One of Portland's most popular destinations is Portland Bill Lighthouse. Portland's coast has been notorio ...

are visible, both are famous features of this part of the South coast of England. Lyme Regis is located to the west of Chesil Beach on the

Jurassic Coast The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about , and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in mid-December ...

, a place where many fossils may be found. The Cobb at Lyme Regis was the location for

The French Lieutenant's Woman (film) ''The French Lieutenant's Woman'' is a 1981 British romantic drama film directed by Karel Reisz, produced by Leon Clore, and adapted by the playwright Harold Pinter. It is based on ''The French Lieutenant's Woman'', a 1969 novel by John Fowles. ...

in 1981. The

South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises a ...

also leads into this part of the town. Lymeregiscobbnwprot

Sections of the Liberty Trail also form part of other trails in the area, such as the Macmillan Way West,

Wessex Ridgeway The Wessex Ridgeway is a long-distance footpath in southwest England. It runs from Marlborough in Wiltshire to Lyme Regis in Dorset, via the northern edge of Salisbury Plain and across Cranborne Chase AONB. The footpath was opened in 1994. At ...

. Further detail of the Liberty Trail is available from Yeovil Tourist Information Centre and South Somerset Tourist Information.

Way points and maps

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Explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

map series:- 129 - Yeovil & Sherborne (Sherbourne), :- 116 - Lyme Regis & Bridport, provide the geographical details for this trail.

References

External links

Geology of Lyme Regis area
British Geological Survey {{DEFAULTSORT:Liberty Trail Footpaths in Somerset