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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Haha cheers.. I know you live opposite, but wasn't sure which place. If you saw a trio, older man, young boy, and handsome inbetween guy (lol) pass by, that was us :-) It's the first church I've seen that wasn't left open for visitors.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Tried to church crawl St Peter & St Paul in Over Stowey recently but it was locked. The graveyard over the the road was interesting too.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

1/4 Did a lot of valuable exploring this weekend. First up was this wonderful #churchcrawling experience at St Mary’s Church, Stogumber

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Thanks for the tag :-) Hard to place, but my first hunch it's the Trig point above Staple Plain car park?

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Not shocked. I remember a statistic about minorities having a high risk of drowning due to that kind of disparity. They should *cough* officially all get a certain amount by 11. But yes, my Son has had weekly private lessons for approx. 4 years now, and have bumped into many school mates there.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Swimming lessons are already compulsory in the U.K. for children in Key Stage 1 or 2. So much younger.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

I forgot the Dragonflies! Inherited some Water Iris with the first pond which I think helped there. No expert, but I think once you have Newts the Frogs are done for as they eat the tadpoles. Son loves to raise some wild spawn to mini frogs in a tank to add. Anything smaller and the newts eat em!

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Good luck! Perfect time to do it. We had a resident frog when we moved into our house > 10 years ago. It's been a pain keeping the pond clean from leaves + deadfall as it was moved to under an apple tree. I added another small pond next to it. Have a few toads hanging about & lots of newts now too.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Riding up top takes me to the best Quantock views, first across from Higher Hare Knap across to Dowsborough Hill Fort, which I was in the shadows of an hour prior and after interacting with the locals, views from the Cairn across to the Holford Memorial Trees & to each side many northern Combes

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Retracing my steps back up to the Quantock Greenway leads to Five Lord’s Bench

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Below that point, following the boundary bank through a maze of trees, blown down in a storm long ago, lies a peaty pool described as haunted & mysterious associated with the smith god #wayland #folklore

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

These boundary banks are a named meeting point of three parish boundaries.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Next stop after climbing Holford Edge was Knackers Hole. A spring that starts as a soggy area in high ground below Dowsborough Hillfort which loses and issues building to a stream that is culverted under the A39 near No Man’s Land.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Beating The Bounds One train of investigation is tracing what is at named Parish boundary points. I visited a hit list of these today, along with checking in on some other spots to see if seasonal changes reveal more. First stop the refurb of Hayman’s Pond which fed the Tannery in Holford combe.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Lovely pic! I was hoping for some of the Tor from the usual suspects when I looked across towards it and saw the sky this colour but this trumps that idea.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Halsgrove’s Community Histories series are a wonderful collection of local history combined with old photos. Sadly the Nether Stowey book marked as forthcoming never happened. Local Cllr Ken Lee who was working on it in 2001 passed in 2021.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

I'd not be shocked if they'd done one along the lines of Celtic myths. Resisting the urge to Google it. My £2 score was a couple years ago via a rotary club charity book shop. I'd paid about £40 for the other only months prior, which I thought was decent. The going price online was approx £50 then.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

I have this one, as well as two copies of the RD one, including a 1st Ed. I got for £2. My copy of AF&L must be in the loft & must have been deemed off topic, for now - I'm getting low on bookshelf space! 📚 Not aware of any other RD folklore works.. So this post might hit me in the pocket.💸💸

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Agree 100% - keep seeing references to the orange one and fromage too. Despite not following or engaging with anything outside my wheelhouse. Even refusing to follow back profiles that post politics

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

Hard to find, but well worth the hunt. Peter Haggett - The Quantocks: Biography of an English Region (2012)

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

“I hope a modicum of Quantock legends will long survive unscathed to continue to add their colour to it’s landscape." Peter Haggett - The Quantocks: Biography of an English Region (2012) #FolkloreFriday #FolkyFriday

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

Half the bench ends on each side are carved

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

The Church of The Virgin Mary aka St. Mary The Virgin in Holford. Finally got around to #churchcrawling this lovely gem.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Scrutiny like this affects the legacy of friends & associates like Katharine Briggs, former President of the Folklore Society. Modern author Jeremy Harte is among those who have written detailed articles on RLT's methods. I will frame my discussion in a wholly Quantock context. #FolkyFriday

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

The most famous Quantock "Folklorist" is the enigmatic & problematic figure Ruth Lyndall Tongue (1898-1981) Like other later writers, I can tell I'm working closely with the same original sources & can connect them to dissect her fabrications & embellishments. #FolkloreFriday

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Did you know that, following the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949, The Quantock Hills became the first English Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1957. In 2023 AONBs were rebranded as National Landscapes in-line with National Parks. #AONB #NationalLandscape #NationalPark

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Yeah I wonder how close to the true colouring that is. Looks like the place might be musty from the state of behind! Didn’t have space to say, did Broomfield twice over summer too inc. Crosse’s Obelisk in the back corner of the graveyard. Stogursey has been the biggest wow factor so far.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Grew up in North Taunton & visit family there weekly so it never seems to be a priority. Saving myself up for a big visit to the archive in Norton too. St. Decumans & Holford are on my list. Did Crowcombe and Stogursey recently. Found this via google images, can't remember if I'd already seen it.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Depends where they trained around 1990 I guess!

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Thanks! A quick list off the top of my head for the other local 🐉 tales. - Blue Ben (Kilve) - Norton Fitzwarren - Kingston St Mary - St Carantoc (Carhampton) - with an assist from King Arthur ⚔️

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Guessing it would have be around 1990. Uncle worked at Tone Vale, so probably knew people out that way. Remember local builder Raucki & his Son, around my age being there. Went to Halsway Manor recently to buy a copy of the Ruth Tongue biography & the room seemed tiny compared to my memories of it

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Keep your eyes open. I paid quite a lot for my initial copy, then picked up a second for £2, which was a first printing too!

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

God that brings back memories, and a confession! A younger me, and my dad were convinced by an uncle to join the group (Taunton Deane I'd guess?) at Halsway Manor. I remember practicing like this & retiring to The Carew Arms afterward to shrink crisp packets in the fire & attended a few outings.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Try this: benchends.wordpress.com/2017/07/01/t... One of the bells in the church is apparently dedicated to St. George. There are a handful of local dragon legends. It'll be in my book, of course. I've made some interesting discoveries that I'm keeping very close to my chest for now. 🐉

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

In summertime that building behind is opened by the Rotary Club as a charity bookshop and can be a cracking place to find some local, and not so, gems - they’ve had a fair bit of cash out of me! Can also get a nice ice cream to the left once I’ve let my Son raid the Lego bins upstairs! ☀️🍦

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Saw something on the FOQ fb page about Holford Glen bridge being out of action. Can’t recall what the outcome was. I’ve started from Holford more than anywhere else. On a bike I’d go up past Hayman’s Pool - that’s just been refurbed so would like to see that. On foot I’d go past the dog pound.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

While you’re there the Holford & Kilve WW2 memorial trees & stone are easily findable at the top of Willoughby Cleeve. The view across to Higher Hare Knap, and the Cairn backlit against the skyline at the top is among one of the best there is. ///above.extremes.trudges

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Some Quantock #LIDAR items for #HillfortsWednesday Dowsborough (Danesborough) Hill Fort, Ruborough Camp, Plainsfield (Cockercombe) Camp, (Nether) Stowey Castle, Cannington Camp (Cynwit Castle), Norton (Fitzwarren) Camp Hill Fort, The Trendle Ring. (Inspired from a post by @mikegill.bsky.social)

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Add Wales in by adding Cwm from which Combe derives :-)

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

A find today means I can drop a new quadriptych of Quantock related books. Usually these are found for sale, or view, when church crawling. Often there are nuggets of folklore & stories related to artefacts, like carved bench ends or the Icthyosaur in the floor of Stogursey’s North Transept.

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Quantock Land & Lore @quantocklandlore.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Modern mapping keeps GPS traces I've made over the past 10 years relevant & enables me to look at past explorations in a new light. Curiously, Longstone Hill is named after a diminutive stone on it's northern side often hidden by gorse taller than itself. With GPS anyone can find The Long Stone!

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