The Macmillan Way West is a long-distance footpath in
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lor ...
and
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, England. It runs for from
Castle Cary
Castle Cary () is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet, at the foot of Lodge Hill and on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett.
History
The word Cary derives fr ...
in Somerset to
Barnstaple
Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...
in Devon. It is one of the
Macmillan Ways and connects with the main
Macmillan Way at Castle Cary.
The path follows the valley of the
River Cary
The River Cary is a river in Somerset, England. It is sourced from the Park Pond in Castle Cary and flows towards the southwest.
Etymology
The origin of the name ''Cary'' is uncertain. It may be derived from pre-Celtic ''kar-'', meaning "stony, ...
to
Somerton, then crosses the
Somerset Levels to
North Petherton
North Petherton is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the eastern foothills of the Quantocks, and close to the edge of the Somerset Levels.
The town has a population of 6,730 as of 2014. The parish incl ...
. From
Langport
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The parish, which covers only part of the town, has a population of 1,081. Langport is contiguous with Huish Episcopi, a separate ...
to a point near
Westonzoyland the route coincides with the
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 ...
.
From North Petherton the path climbs the
Quantock Hills, and follows the ridge of the hills for several miles, passing their highest point,
Will's Neck
Wills Neck is the highest summit on the Quantock Hills and one of the highest points in Somerset, England. Although only 1261 ft (384 m) high, it qualifies as one of England's Marilyns. It is situated about north west of the histori ...
. It descends through the village of
Bicknoller
Bicknoller is a village and civil parish on the western slopes of the Quantock Hills in the English county of Somerset.
Administratively, the civil parish falls within the Somerset West and Taunton local government district within the Somerset ...
, and then crosses low-level country to
Williton and
Dunster.
After passing the village of
Wootton Courtenay
Wootton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on Exmoor in the Somerset West and Taunton district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Brockwell and Huntscott.
The village lies on the route of the Macmillan Way West and the ...
it then climbs to
Exmoor at its highest point,
Dunkery Beacon
Dunkery Beacon at the summit of Dunkery Hill is the highest point on Exmoor and in Somerset, England. It is also the highest point in southern England outside of Dartmoor.
The sandstone hill rises to and provides views over the surrounding mo ...
. For the last to Barnstaple, the path follows the route of the
Tarka Trail.
The path is waymarked from east to west, but not from west to east.
Route and points of interest
References
*''Macmillan Way West'' The Macmillan Way Association
External links
Macmillan Ways website
Exmoor
Long-distance footpaths in England
Footpaths in Somerset
Footpaths in Devon
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