Dunster and England's Tallest Tree

We went to Dunster the last time we were in Somerset but mainly spent our time exploring the castle and its gardens. This wasn't an option this time as the gardens were open but the castle was closed to visitors. Instead, we had a more detailed look around the old medieval town and discovered a couple of its hidden gems.

First things first though. Before any sort of exploration is commenced, a good strong coffee is needed and this was provided by Tessa's Tea Shop situated on the High Street. As all the tables were outside, it was the perfect place to just sit, relax and watch the world go by, something that I think a lot of people have missed this past year.

We then had wander along the High Street looking at all the interesting shops, many of which sold local produce. One of the things which caught our eye was Whortleberry Jam, but the romance of the name disappeared when it we found out that whortleberry is just a local name for bilberry or bleaberry.

Sal wanted to visit an old packhorse bridge called Gallox Bridge so we headed through the town in search of it. On our way we came across a local community garden which had been designed as a quiet place to give both locals and tourists a means of escaping the hustle and bustle of the busy town centre. Dunster can get a bit hectic as one of the few major roads of the area going directly through it. We spent a fair amount of time in there, photographing the many flowers the locals had planted and just enjoying the peace and quiet.

And so on to Gallox Bridge. In the Middle Ages Dunster flourished as a market and port for wool, with fleeces being brought down from the moors to be sold there. Many of them were carried by packhorse across the river Avill via Gallox Bridge, which was the main route into Dunster from the south.

It is referred to as Gallox Bridge in a variety of spellings such as Gallocksbrigge, Gallox Bridge or Gallocks Bridge. The name derives from the gallows that stood on a hill outside the town which were a symbol of the authority of the lords of Dunster Castle, who had the right to try and hang any thief caught within the area of their jurisdiction.

Alongside the bridge was an ancient ford – probably older than the bridge – for wheeled traffic. The bridge and ford functioned together: pedestrians and packhorses (with their wool fleeces) using the bridge, and carts driving through the ford. This area must be the oldest part of the town and it is still surrounded by beautiful thatched cottages.

It was then a pleasant stroll back through the village to the pasty shop where we bought a couple for our lunches.

A few days earlier we had been diverted on to a side road when we were heading for The Royal Oak in Luxborough. On this back road there was a signpost for 'The Tallest Tree in England' so, as it was only a few miles down the road, we decided today was the day to investigate.

It was a Douglas Fir tree and was situated in a woodland called Nutcombe Bottom. In 2009, the Guinness Book of Records recorded it as being 198ft high, weighing 50 tonnes and having a diameter of 6ft. It was certainly an impressive size.

We finished our day off having lunch in one of the forest clearings, with great views of Exmoor on one side of us and The Bristol Channel on the other. The only thing missing was mushy peas with a dash of Hendo's!