Ramblers from all over the Somer Valley and beyond gathered at the Victoria Hall, Radstock as the first Somer Valley Walking Festival got underway recently.

In lovely early autumn weather, the walkers set out on a variety of routes from six miles in length up to a leg-stretching thirteen. There was also an innovative Sketching Walk around the town for local amateur artists. At the same time, seventeen local families set off on a walk/treasure hunt along the Greenway, from Radstock to the old Midsomer Norton South Station, where they were able to join railway enthusiasts at a steam Sunday event.

The previous evening, there was a well attended talk at the Radstock Museum, when Dennis Chedgy showed some fascinating slides of the area, highlighting its industrial past and contrasting the period of mines, railways and canals with today’s less despoiled landscape and townscape.

Cllr John Bull, Chair of the committee which organised the weekend, said: “I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the festival: our sponsors, Radco, who provided goody bags for the Family Walk, B&NES Council, Radstock Town Council, Radstock Museum, Victoria Hall, the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society and of course, the Mendip Ramblers and Norton Radstock Ramblers, who devised the walks. Feedback on the whole event has been very good and we hope to repeat the event in future years, perhaps with an even greater variety of walks.”

Report by John Bull