Following a morning coffee sat on the patio steps of my Airbnb, bathed in birdsong and watching the swallows chase each other across the yard, I set off for today’s first venue – Carding Mill Valley.
A haven for walkers, there are three main routes of varying lengths set out by the National Trust. As I’ve a long day ahead of me, and I had already decided I am coming back tomorrow, I opted for the shortest route to New Pool Hollow.
The 20 minute walk uphill is alongside a babbling brook, and culminates in the Edwardian 12 million-gallon reservoir built in 1902. It’s an immensely peaceful spot, and even the sun came out from behind the clouds for a little while.
Aside from birdsong, the only sound to be heard was the baaing of sheep. I say baaing, I got a fit of the giggles halfway up as there was a sheep that sounded like a man yelling. If you’ve not seen the YouTube video, you can have this one on me. Merry Christmas.
Verdict: Lots of sheeps and a babbling river
Update: I returned to Carding Mill Valley the next day to do the ‘medium’ level walk up to Lightsprout Waterfall.
This walk was a bit more challenging and scrambly in places but it was very much worth it to get to the waterfall, and there were some more spectacular views.
A Year of Trust 