Somerset

Orchards, stiles and fields circular walk

Arboretum | © National Trust/Sarah Summers

Enjoy a wander through the heart of cider country in South Somerset. Tintinhull village dates back to the Saxon period, and there are historic orchards and medieval field systems for you to discover.

Near to

Tintinhull Garden

Start point

Tintinhull Garden National Trust car park, grid ref: ST503198

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 1 (km: 1.6)

Duration 30 mins to 40 mins

Dog friendly***

*Gentle slopes with a number of roads to cross on the route. For further details, please see section marked Terrain.
**Walk with gentle slopes, stiles and kissing gates. For further details, please see section marked Access.
***Dogs are welcome, but please keep them on a lead. For further details, please see section marked Facilities.

Address
Tintinhull village, near Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 8PZ.
Directions via Google Maps
By train
Yeovil Pen Mill, 5.5 miles (8.8km); Yeovil Junction, 7 miles (11.2km) (bus to Yeovil Bus Station).
By bus
First 52, Yeovil Bus Station to Martock, passing within 0.75 miles (1.2km) of Tintinhull Gardens (30-minute walk).
By road
5 miles (8km) north-west of Yeovil, 0.5 miles (800m) south of A303, on east outskirts of Tintinhull. Follow road signs to Tintinhull village and then Tintinhull Garden and/or the Crown and Victoria. Car park is 55yd (50m) past the Inn on the left-hand side.
Total stages: 8
Total stages: 8
Start point
Tintinhull Garden National Trust car park, grid ref: ST503198
Stage 1
From the car park entrance, cross the road and turn left along the pavement following the wall.
Stage 2
On reaching the Crown and Victoria Inn, turn right and enter the orchard through the gate.
Stage 3
Follow the direction of the public footpath sign through the orchard.
Stage 4
When you get to a stile keep going along the hedgerow, and pass over a second stile. A little after the second stile, stop at the waymarked metal gate on the left.
Stage 5
Go through the gate, following the waymarked footpath along the hedgerow.
Stage 6
Before reaching a wooden kissing gate have a pit stop at another metal five-bar gate, which has views across the village to Montacute, with the distinctive St Michael's Hill. Go through the kissing gate and follow the track, which was once part of a drove.
Drove ways
Here you can see a drove used to access the common field systems of Tintinhull, established in the medieval period. The common field systems can still be seen in places as parallel ridges and furrows on the surface of modern fields. Look for these in the car park at the end of the walk. Major droving routes were also used to move livestock around, sometimes long distances, to local and regional markets. Pubs and inns that once stood on old drove ways may still carry the drover's name.
Stage 7
When you get to the end of the track, go through the second wooden kissing gate and cross the road onto the pavement. Turn left and pass through Tintinhull village. Some of the houses on the right date back to the 16th and 17th century.
Stage 8
At the triangle road junction, turn left and cross the road following the signs for Tintinhull Garden. Pass the Crown and Victoria Inn and follow the road to arrive back at the car park.
Tintinhull House and Gardens
After completing your walk, you can visit Tintinhull House and Garden. The house was built in 1630 for the Napper family, who rose in prominence in the village between the 16th and 18th century. They were closely associated with the local glove-making industry. As their wealth grew, they bought a number of properties, including Tintinhull Court and the Dower House. The house is surrounded by a contemporary garden created by Phyllis Reiss between 1933 and 1961, which complements the mellow ham stone and proportions of the house.
End point
Tintinhull Garden National Trust car park, grid ref: ST503198
Trail map
Orchards, stiles and fields walk trail map, Tintinhull Garden, Somerset | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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Farm Street, Tintinhull, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 8PZ

01458224471

tintinhull@nationaltrust.org.uk

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A kitchen garden with rows of green cabbages and orange marigolds

Article

Things to see at Tintinhull Garden

Discover the secluded spaces within Tintinhull Garden, each offering calm from the busy world. In spring, the garden boasts a stunning array of spring bulbs, including tulips and alliums, followed closely by vast numbers of towering foxgloves. In summer, the roses come into full bloom, with such favourites as ‘Champagne Moment’, ‘Twice In A Blue Moon’ and ‘For Your Eyes Only’. Autumn brings more colour change, and the Kitchen Garden overflows with produce.