Shapwick Walks – Loxley Woods This is a walk so familiar to many, but for others is a secret still to be discovered. Anyone local to Shapwick should know the joy of experiencing the changing seasons in this small area of woodland only half a mile from the centre of Shapwick. Loxley woods are owned by the Woodland Trust – see (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visitingwoods/woods/loxley-wood/) and are accessible by various footpaths from Shapwick, or from the small car parking area in Wood Lane. Start from the centre of Shapwick by the junction of Church Road and Mill Lane, and walk all the way up Mill Lane (approx ½ mile) to the junction with High Lane. Turn right as far as the postbox. Take the public footpath marked by a finger post next to the postbox and head straight up – carry on past the electricity sub-station, and then over the stile into the field and all the way up to the small gate and stile into the woods. Here pause to look back at wonderful views of Shapwick nestling in the countryside with the full expanse of the Mendips in the background. Once you’ve entered the woods, turn right and follow the meandering path for some 500 metres until you reach a small ramp with a handrail. In early spring you will see primroses and snowdrops, then later bluebells, swiftly followed by a carpet of wild garlic. Be TERESA KING 4 SUMMER I S SUE | J ULY 2 0 2 2 Approximately 3 miles, to and from the Church. Shapwick Birds (page 6) - Solutions Answers (Down): 1. Lapwing 3. Great white egret 4. Wren 9. Tufted duck 10. Swallow 11. Bittern 13. Sparrow 14. Heron 15. Robin (Across): 2. Jay 5. Pheasants 6. Green woodpecker 7. Starling 8. Whitethroat 12. Marsh harrier careful of roots underfoot. It is also wise to keep dogs on leads in this section due to the proximity of the A39. At the ramp, you could choose to go through the small gate on your right and follow the footpath through the field back to the western end of High Lane. Alternatively, go up the ramp then turn right and continue down the track in a northerly direction for about another 300m (passing another gate to the field on your right) until you reach a clear junction. Carry straight on at this junction to follow a circular 1km loop in an anti-clockwise direction round the lower half of the woods. After a few hundred metres you come to a bench where the path circles round to the left. In summer you can see pink orchids just before you reach a swampy area. It can get muddy here in wet weather. Continue looping round until you reach the small car park on Wood Lane. Here turn sharp left on a straight grassy path to return to the start of the loop. You can then turn right up the path and either take one of the gates to access the public footpath back through the fields to High Lane, or continue eastwards through the upper part the woods, retracing your footsteps back to the postbox. Shapwick has a good network of footpaths and lanes to explore. For detail of public footpaths and bridleways see OS Explorer 141. Please remember: always stick to public footpaths and bridlepaths (as marked on the OS map) or private footpaths only where landowners have given their permission (e.g. Woodland Trust as above). Please do not roam elsewhere in farmers’ fields. Please keep dogs on a lead where there is livestock and pick up your dog mess - not only is it unpleasant, it is also dangerous for cattle. Parish Council and Shapwick Community Group update Parish Council: May saw the Annual Parish Meeting and the first routine PC meeting since the local elections in early May with new and existing councillors in place. We still have a vacancy for one Parish Councillor: if you would like to join us and help make a difference, all you need to do is let Sue Williams, the clerk, know: shapwickpc@btinternet.com. Shapwick Community Group: This Parish Council committee is getting into full swing and has started a number of projects as a result of the responses we have received to “I wish Shapwick had…..”. Thanks to everyone for your replies: please keep them coming! All channels are still open, on paper via the village hall post box, via PC email or via a Google Form https://forms.gle/F4uKamxdVwTuP9hA9. All responses are treated in confidence. We have completed the second of our original tasks with the recent launch of the Village Welcome Pack. This comprehensive document is intended to to provide people new to Shapwick with all of the information they need when they arrive. We would ask all villagers to keep their eyes open for new neighbours and to let the Parish Council know via shapwickpc@btinternet.com or DM Shapwick PC on Facebook. One of the councillors will then deliver a copy. You can view The Welcome Pack (and all PC agendas and minutes) on Facebook or under documents on the Parish Council website: https://www.shapwickparishcouncil.org.uk. Walking: Rich Tweedy is leading the team of Nikki Polden, Matt Barnett & Steve Campion to investigate & potentially seek membership of the “Walkers are Welcome” group https://walkersarewelcome.org.uk/. Additionally they plan to explore changes to existing footpaths and consider how the dog poo issue might be resolved. Affordable Housing: Given the strong preference for a small scale housing development shown in last year's village poll, we have decided to learn more about what this might entail. Stuart Dennes has arranged a meeting with the Community Land Trust later in July who will explain more about how it all works. Shapwick Community Café: The first Café was held at St Marys’ Church on Monday 27th June organised by Wendy Anderson and Helen Wade. 15-20 people enjoyed coffee, cake and great conversation; thanks to everyone who joined in. Watch out on Facebook and the village notice boards for the next Café event. Broadband: Given the regular adverse comments about this service in Shapwick, Steve McAuliffe and Graham Croucher undertook to carry out some initial investigations. We will shortly be launching a village survey on Facebook to gather some basic facts about internet speed in Shapwick. We hope that everyone will take part, we can then make a good plan for the next steps. GRAHAM CROUCHER, CHAIR OF SHAPWICK PC
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