Beech Plantation

Wood, Forest in Somerset Mendip

England

Beech Plantation

Elmhay Park A wedding venue. There is a golf course in the grounds. — Elmhay Park Credit: Julian P Guffogg

Beech Plantation, located in Somerset, is a magnificent wood forest renowned for its expansive beech trees and lush vegetation. Covering an area of approximately 500 acres, this plantation is a haven for nature enthusiasts and is widely recognized for its scenic beauty and ecological significance.

The dominant feature of Beech Plantation is undoubtedly its impressive beech trees, which can reach heights of up to 100 feet. These majestic trees create a dense canopy, providing shade and shelter to a diverse range of plants and wildlife. The forest floor is covered with a thick layer of leaf litter, contributing to the rich biodiversity found within the plantation.

The flora in Beech Plantation is abundant and varied, with a wide array of wildflowers, ferns, and mosses thriving in the moist and fertile soil. The forest is home to numerous species of birds, including owls, woodpeckers, and warblers, making it a popular destination for birdwatchers. In addition, the forest provides habitat for mammals such as deer, squirrels, and foxes, adding to the ecological importance of the area.

Beech Plantation offers an extensive network of walking trails and paths, allowing visitors to explore the enchanting woodland at their own pace. The plantation is well-maintained, with clear signage and markers to guide visitors through the forest. It also provides picnic areas and benches for those who wish to relax and soak in the peaceful ambiance.

Overall, Beech Plantation is a captivating destination for nature lovers, offering a serene and immersive experience in the heart of Somerset's natural beauty. Its impressive beech trees, diverse flora, and abundant wildlife make it an ideal place for both leisurely walks and educational exploration.

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Beech Plantation Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 51.251818/-2.3416417 or Grid Reference ST7650. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Elmhay Park

A wedding venue. There is a golf course in the grounds.

Julian P Guffogg

View from Orchardleigh House

don cload

Bed of the abandoned Dorset and Somerset Canal

The Dorset and Somerset canal was intended to ascend Barrow Hill using a flight of five boat lifts. Counting from the bottom, there is no evidence that work ever commenced on the first lift. The other four were never completed, and their chambers, set into the hillside, are overgrown and in various states of dereliction. This image was taken in the short section of canal above the third lift and looks northwest towards the chamber of the fourth.

David Tyers

Dangerfield farm

Rob Purvis

Buckland Dinham garage

Rob Purvis

The Bell at Buckland Dinham

Rob Purvis

Iron Mill Lane heading east

Rob Purvis

Flowers Farm Bridge

Another small pedestrian bridge over the old railway bridge. Today it's Route 24 on the National Cycle Network, but it was originally a GWR branch line from Radstock to Frome, built in 1854 to Brunel's Broad Gauge initially, and carried coal from the local mines. A year later it began carrying passengers too. But as the viability declined passengers were stopped in 1958; freight soldiered on until the line closed completely in 1988. It made a natural cyclepath which has a tarmac surface only recently completed, but the old rails remain for much of its length. An old fashioned benchmark still exists at the foot of the arch - see ST7450 : Projecting Bracket at Barrow Hill.

Neil Owen

Projecting Bracket at Barrow Hill

The old Radstock-Frome railway line was opened in the mid-1850s, but this Ordnance Survey benchmark was installed in the early part of the 1900s. It is fairly common on the railways of the area but the type itself was replaced by the Flush Bracket shortly after the start of the Second Geodetic Levelling. Indeed, it appears to be a collector's item as the Conduit Bridge item (some 1.5Km to the west) has been removed. See ST7450 : Flowers Farm Bridge a wider location view, ST7350 : Lost! for the missing mark and Link

for the entry in the Benchmark Database.

Neil Owen

Any which way

More old-time enamel pointing fingers, adorning the undersides of bridges along the Colliers' Way. This one is Flowers Farm Bridge, with more to be enjoyed at ST7151 : Is it me?.

Neil Owen

Gate to the field

A simple gate opposite Flowers Farm Bridge - see [[[3329125]] - that allows non-motorised passage to the other field on the other side of the railway. See also ST7450 : For all travellers for the cattle grid here.

Neil Owen

For all travellers

Despite a simple cyclepath running alongside the old railway line, these gates are clearly designed to control a variety of wheeled, two-legged and four-legged users through. The adjoining bridge crossing the line is not one for motorised traffic as it leads to a field. See ST7450 : Gate to the field for the gate and [[[3329125]] for the little bridge.

Neil Owen

Onwards to Bucklands Bridge

National Route 24, leading eventually to Frome. Permission is granted to travel along it!

Neil Owen

Nightingale Lodge, Murtry Hill

Private drive, with public footpath running along it.

Vieve Forward

Course of the Dorset and Somerset Canal

Looking along the bed of the abandoned canal when the wild garlic was in full bloom. This section of the Dorset and Somerset Canal was constructed in about 1798, but the canal was never completed or opened.

David Tyers

Murtry Aqueduct across the Mells River

Murtry Aqueduct was built in about 1798 to carry the Dorset and Somerset Canal across the Mells River. However, the canal was never completed or opened.

David Tyers

Murtry Aqueduct across the Mells River

North side of the three arched Murtry Aqueduct, which was built in about 1798 to carry the Dorset and Somerset Canal across the Mells River. However, the canal was never completed or opened.

David Tyers