[1] Leave the car park via the gate into King’s Wood, immediately turning left to follow a broad path downhill and away to your right. You soon reach a pair of gates ignore the gate on the left, and pass through the one on the right and continue on a level course to a fork. Here, take the narrower left path off the broader path and start to descend, turning left at a path junction. Pass through a gate and continue with a boundary of ancient lime trees on your left. You pass a minor fork ignoring the paths right and left, after which you leave the woodland to fine views of the Somerset Levels ahead. Continue to a gate and descend the path to the village of Cross. The path descends to a road where you turn right and follow it passing the ‘White Hart’ on your right and continue to a road junction on the left (next to the Village Hall).
(A) The comedian and comic actor Frankie Howerd, who died in 1992, lived in this village. The house, ‘Wavering Down’ is 100 yards ahead on the right. Following the death of Howerd’s partner in 2009, the property was subsequently sold.
Turn left, signed Highbridge, and cross the bridge and once over it turn right, and climb the stile and walk keeping the river (Cheddar Yeo) on your right.
[2] Follow the Yeo, climbing a succession of stiles, until one gives access to a track where you go right, soon reaching a lane. Turn left and follow the tarmaced lane that eventually becomes a track. Continue through a gate and into a field. Walk ahead, boundary left, over a couple of stiles and through two gates to reach a cross track. Go straight ahead through the gate opposite, and continue with the boundary on your left climbing another stile. Half way across the next field, bear left to locate an enclosed path accessed by a stile.
[3] Beyond here in summer, the path can become very overgrown and the occasional fallen tree doesn’t help. Although there is under 200 yards to walk, if it all becomes too much, retreat to the stile and walk up the field edge keeping to the left boundary to reach a road. Turn left and follow it for a half mile and crossroads where you meet the intended route.
If the going is reasonable, follow this narrow path, passing an information board. A short distance further, the path opens out to a track that soon becomes a lane that you follow to crossroads (the alternative route joins here).
[4] Go straight over into Barton Road. Pass Webbington Farm on the left, followed by ‘The Lodge’ then ‘The Paddock’ both on the right, eventually reaching a telecoms mast on the left. Approx 10m past the mast you will come across rocks/stones on the right-hand side of the road. Look up to your right, and you will see a gate and path leading into the woods (no waymark sign). Take the path upto the gate and follow it along the signed bridleway and start to climb. There is a gentle ascent on a pleasant woodland path, but after the path turns back left (waymarked Shute Shelve, West Mendip Way and National Trust Path), the climb starts in earnest! Before long, you will see the rocky summit of Crook Peak away to the right and you could blaze a trail to it. Better though, to follow the well-used path until you reach a wall corner. Here, you can detour right to the peak.
(A) Crook Peak is a landmark for miles around, and was used as such by ships negotiating the Bristol Channel. It was also the location of one of the beacons that signaled the arrival of the Spanish Armada.
[5] The walk continues with the wall on your left, towards Wavering Down, at over 690 feet, the highest point on the circuit. On reaching the trig. point on the Down, the remainder of the walk is all downhill, keeping the boundary to your left, with the last stretch a delightful descent through mature woodland, that leads you back to the car park.