Mells River Walk

5 miles (8 km)

Enjoy an easy riverside stroll on this walk from the delightful village of Mells to Frome in Somerset.
Walk Report on October 2nd by Dawn Talbot:
We arrived in Mells on a pleasant autumn day parking and parked in the village at postcode BA11 3QB. We decided to make a little more of the outing by starting with a visit to the Mells Walled Garden.... It was a lovely addition to the day, with the garden tucked away behind its old walls and filled with plants, flowers and interesting borders. There are lots of little seating areas dotted around the garden, as well as a café and plant nursery, and I particularly liked the views across the countryside from the back of the garden. There is a village car park a few minutes away on Longfield Road, which makes it convenient to combine the garden with a walk around Mells.
After looking around the garden, we set off through Mells, passing some of the village's attractive old buildings before joining the route along the river. The walk follows the Mells River eastwards through the Wadbury Valley, and it was lovely to leave the village behind and settle into the quieter countryside. The route is fairly gentle, with the river and surrounding woodland providing a peaceful backdrop for much of the walk.
One of the more interesting sections came at the old Mells Iron Works. The ruined buildings are a reminder of the area's industrial past, when agricultural edge-tools were produced here and exported around the world. I enjoyed the contrast between the quiet green valley and the remains of the old works, which give the walk a little more historical interest than you might expect from a simple riverside route.
I was also pleased to see a kingfisher flash along the river, disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared. There was plenty of other wildlife around the water and woodland too, and I found myself slowing down in places just to listen and look. The combination of the river, ancient woodland and open countryside makes this a particularly pleasant area for spotting birds and other wildlife.
The route continues through Great Elm, where we stopped to look at the village and the Grade I listed Church of St Mary Magdalene, which dates back to the 12th century. From here the scenery becomes more enclosed as the walk continues into Vallis Vale, a fascinating geological area with ancient woodland and exposed rock formations. The limestone scenery gives this section a very different character from the river valley earlier in the walk.
We continued through the valley towards Frome, passing places including Bedlam, Hapsford and Spring Gardens before eventually reaching the point where the Mells River meets the River Frome. By this stage the walk had taken me through a surprisingly varied landscape, from the historic village and iron works to riverside meadows, woodland and the rocky scenery of Vallis Vale.
For me, the Mells River Walk works particularly well as a relaxed day out because there is plenty to see without the route feeling demanding. Adding the Walled Garden at the start gave me somewhere interesting to explore before setting off, while the old iron works, Great Elm, Vallis Vale and the riverside scenery provided plenty of variety along the way. It is a lovely way to experience this quieter corner of Somerset, with the option of finishing in Frome and spending some time exploring the town before heading home.
Pubs and More Info
Just to the south you can visit the delightful neighbouring village of Nunney. There's much to enjoy here with a medieval moated castle, a 12th century church, lots of quaint old cottages and a pretty brook running through the centre of the village. There's also an excellent 17th century pub for post walk refreshment.
The East Mendip Way runs from Frome to Great Elm through the countryside. You could use the trail to return to Mells or head deeper into the hills at Shepton Mallet.
The Macmillan Way long distance trail can also be picked up in Great Elm.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Mendip Hills Walks page.