Dai's slow LEJOG

---

---

Day 11 Taunton - Somerton

Stage 3-
32 miles (318)
Arrived in Taunton at lunchtime . Bike route arrows led me straight out of Taunton through the back streets and the route very soon joined the Tow path of the Bridgewater and Taunton canal. For the next hour or so I followed the canal with delightful views of the countryside and canal wildlife. Passing through the village of Creech St Michael I was able to shelter for a while under a bridge from a heavy shower. The mainline railway was never far away and occasionally trains rattled by but it was far enough away from the roads to just enjoy the birdsong.
Coming in to the outskirts of Bridgewater the route crossed the Parrot River on a railway bridge and then meandered on through the village of Chedzoy to eventually reach the first hills of the day at Bawdrip. The Sustrans route cuts through the ridge to Cossington and then followed the ridge to Shapwick where the route joined the busy and unpleasant A39. On the recommendation of a passing cyclist I stopped for a cup of tea at the rather decrepit transport cafe. The tea was good and reviving and the owner was grumpy as my informant had suggested!
A nice downhill run took me off the ridge and on to the levels where I saw and heard herons and rails. From Low Hams a pleasant series of lanes meandered past orchards and picturesque farms to eventually climb the hill up to Somerton

---