Ladies’ Walk
Ladies’ Walk is a mature woodland dominated by beech trees that offer scenic views of Montacute village.
In spring, you can listen to bird song and admire carpets of bluebells that appear. They are then closely followed by wild garlic, which gives off the most intense arroma. During the summer, one of the viewpoint benches is ideal for quiet contemplation. In the autumn and winter months, the woodland becomes a rusty brown as the beech leaves turn and fall.
Return via the Old Deer Park, once a medieval enclosure part of the Abbey Grounds. Sheep often graze the pasture and the stream running through it is a withy bed, where the willows were once managed for basket making.
St Michael's Hill
Montacute village got its name from this hill, originally called ‘Mons Acutus’ (sharp hill in Latin). The Normans built a motte-and-bailey castle on top, with a chapel dedicated to St Michael. All that remains today are the footings, on which the Phelips family built a tower in the 18th century, but the name lingers on.
From the village recreation ground the path follows a gradual climb through the grassland to the woodland edge at the base of the monument. From here the path rises sharply to the summit where the reward is 360⁰ views across the Somerset countryside.