1-day trip to Wells and Chew Valley Lake

A bunch of friends and I spent last Sunday in Wells as it was forecast good weather for that day. It is around 23 miles south from Bristol, stopping in Chew Valley Lake on our way there.

We took the car and drove 30 minutes to get to the lake. First, you must follow Bridgwater Road (A38). After Barrow Gurney tanks, turn left and follow Barrow Lane. From there, the road should be well indicated to Chew Valley Lake.

The lake was built to provide water for Bristol. Not only supplies drinking water for the city but also offers many leisure and recreational facilities such as fishing, sailing, walks, bird watching.... However, swimming, canoeing and kayaking are not allowed.

There are some walking trails around the lake Bristol Water suggests (website), but we followed our own route which was around almost 4.5km and took us 1h in a very slow pace.

We arrived to the lake at the northeastern side. There is a car entrance at Denny Woods and a parking area right next to the lake. There were plenty of spaces available that day, as there weren't many cars that day. I guess it gets busier in the summer. Whole day parking fee is £1.5 although as the paying machine was covered, we assumed there was no need to pay the fee in winter.

The weather was perfectly sunny (pretty cold, though) to go for an early morning walk. Having parked the car, we started walking around the lake.

We came across a building which is a visitors centre and a coffee-shop, Chew Lake Tea Shop. It is open 10.30am - 5.30pm March-October and closes one hour earlier in Winter. Something not expected at all was that they have quite average prices: £1.90 for a mug of latte, orange juice for £0.90. They also serve some hot food such as soups (£3.75) and cod fillets with chips and peas (£6.75). See menu here. 

We continued, and we arrived to the dam, where the path reaches the traffic road. The path stopped there. We had to jump a wooden gate to continue the path as it was chained. The view was beautiful: sailors training, sunny day and blue lake. Amazing!

We continued the lake shore and arrived to the sailing area called CVLSC where the path stops with a "private area" sign. We then turned back and retraced our steps towards the car. It was already lunch time and our stomachs made noises so we decided to go on with our journey and head to Wells, which took around 30 minutes too. 

Wells is a cathedral city in Somerset. It has a city status because of the presence of a cathedral despite there are just around 10,500 inhabitants living in Wells. We were wondering were the name of the city came from and we discussed that it could be because there were many wells in the city some time ago. Actually, the name comes from the three wells dedicated to St Andrews: one is in the market place and the other two are within the grounds of the cathedral.

We easily found free off-road parking slots although there are also proper parking areas closer to the centre. As soon as we arrived, we saw the Church of St Cuthbert. This church is often mistaken for the Cathedral, and so did we. 

The Church of St Cuthbert is an Anglican parish church from the 13th century. There is another church with the same name in Edinburgh but the appearance is completely different. The tower, which is 43 metres high, is the third highest in Somerset. It has 3 stages and the top stage occupies half of the total height.

We followed towards the centre, which is full of shops, cafes and restaurants. It was funny to come across two bars/cafes called Crofters and Full Moon, as in Bristol. They have nothing to do with the Bristol bars called the same, though. 

The Town Hall, located close to the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral, was built in 1778. However, the porch, arcade, balcony and round windows were added later in time. 

The Bishop's Palace, chapel and gardens were closed to visitors that day, reopen is due 14th February. It is normally open from 10am to 6pm in Summer and 10am-4pm in Winter. The admission for the Bishop's palace is 7 pounds (5 concessions) and it gives access to the medieval Palace and Undercroft, ruined Great Hall, gardens and Bishop's chapel. 
However, it is free to walk around Palace.

And finally, we arrived to Wells Cathedral. So huge cathedral for such a small town! "Perhaps the most beautiful of the great English cathedrals", says the official website. And I completelly agree. 

Wells Cathedral is dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. The present building dates from 1175 to 1490, but there was an earlier church built on the same site in year 705. 

It has a large central tower at the west front, a dominant feature visible from miles away. When you look from the east front, the Gothic many details are amazing. Originally four hundred of statues, 3 hundred survived until mid-20th century. However, this cathedral differs from most of other English medieval cathedrals with earlier Romanesque style. When we stood up looking to the cathedral at the west front I thought that the two towers should have been larger, higher. Apparently, the finished product has also been criticized for its lack of pinnacles, and it is probable that the towers were intended to carry spires which were never built. 

The late Sunday Roast needs a mention in the post. It's been very long since I haven't had such a good meal as in City Arms. They are located at the bottom of Wells High Street and a two-course Sunday lunch is just 10.95 pounds. Service and food were excellent. I completely forgot to take a picture of the plate but as you can see, I even wiped the sauce from the plate. Very recommendable place.

LINKS

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Chew Lake Tea Shop
http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/chew-valley-lake/chew-valley-tea-shop/

Walking trails in Chew Valley Lake
http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/chew-valley-lake/nature-trails/

Wells Cathedral
http://www.wellscathedral.org.uk/
Bishop's Palace
http://www.bishopspalace.org.uk/
City Arms
http://www.thecityarmsatwells.com/