Colmer's Hill

We pass several hills driving from Chideock to Bridport, none more distinctive than Colmer's Hill, rising steeply to the summit with nine trees at the top, making it look very inviting.
John and I were very pleased to reach the top on Thursday.

We started in the village of Symondsbury. At the right hand bend before the church, the no through road ahead is only closed for traffic, but open to pedestrians.   The track leads to North Chideock, and is called Hells Lane.

I learnt from a TV program recently that this is a Holloway, and ancient track used by Cattle drovers, and the sandstone is worn down by use over the centuries, so that the path is flanked on both sides by sandstone walls.  At one section the walls must have been twenty foot or so on either side.  It was very beautiful.  We walked half way to North Chideock before we turned back across the fields to where there was a very clear footpath leading to the summit.

The view from the top was impressive.  We counted all nine trees, including one that was cut short at the first branch, and noticed that quite a few saplings had been planted round the summit, so that the hill may look very different in a few years time.

   We picked out Eype Mouth, which cuts through the hills between us and the sea, and Sloes Hill, just the other side of Symondsbury, and Allington Hill, on the edge of Bridport. Looking North we picked out Park Copse and Henwood Copse, but the hills were not so easy to identify.  It was all very beautiful.

We came down on the South side of the hill and across the field back to the lane where we started.  It was not very clear where to leave the field, but when we found the gate we read the notice which explained the path was a permissive path, and would be closed for ten days each year.

Earlier in the week, we visited the pottery at Symondsbury, and bought a mug that had a depiction of the hill as decoration.