Recommendations for Cheddar, Somerset

Me too ….Duh !!

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Amazing. Thanks for showing those and for the effort you’ve gone to to show your images, they are amazing. If I get any snaps that are half as good those I’ll be happy!

I’m back from my holibobs as mentioned and thought I’d share a selection of my drone shots with you all.
180 From the top of Nyland hill


Top down on some fields. Somerset Flats.

Chedder Resevoir Pump Building.

Cheddar Reservoir.

Chedder Resevoir Pump Building.

Me (On the Far Right), my wife (2nd on the left) and our Besties.

Another of the Reservoir Pump Building.

Cheddar Gorge.

Cheddar Reservior from Cheddar Gorge.

I just missed it but there were some nutters hanging off ropes over the gorge!

Me standing on the Trig Point on the top of Nylands Hill.

Top Down of Nylands Hill.

A view of Tor Farm where we stayed with Nylands Hill and the Mendips in the distance.

I noticed these odd markings on the ground and have sent them to my Archaeologist friend to see if he can find out what it might have been.

More random fields on the Somerset Flats.

Our accomodation at Tor Farm.

As you can see we were graced with rather good weather for November. We went to Glastonbury Tor as well but it was really windy. I hope to get back there and fly one day as it’s spectacular!

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Great shots and some stunning weather. Looks like a good time had by all. :ok_hand:t4:

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Some stunning shots there. Beautiful scenery :clap:

I am just as amazed at the weather, as it feels like it’s been crap weather for a good two weeks now :unamused:

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So, if you were curious to know the picture below is the remnants of a Duck Decoy.

Here is the information my colleague sent to me regarding it. You’ve got to love a bit of history!

Good morning Andy – it’s a Duck Decoy! (see below its Scheduled Monument description). The idea of a duck decoy is that it is a pond on which ducks are encouraged to land (by floating fake decoy ducks). Once you have a good number on the water they are then disturbed. They fly off skimming along the water looking for safety. You will see that there are ‘six pipes’, curving ‘exits’ from the pond. They curve and narrow. They curve so as to make sure that they look like a safe place to fly into but the ducks can’t see that as they narrow they are netted over. End result the ducks fly down the pipes and into nets. It’s a duck trap!

The monument includes the earthwork remains of a six-pipe duck decoy, situated at the base of Nyland Hill in the Axe River valley, an area of low lying land which is periodically subject to flooding. The site is bounded by a sub-rectangular enclosure rhyne (drainage ditch), up to 2m in depth, and a predominantly blackthorn hedge, surviving mostly on the inside of the rhyne. The hedge contains occasional larger trees probably representing remnants of woods around the decoy. Some stone revetting was noted in the southern enclosure rhyne in 1989. Aligned ENE/WSW the pool comprises a square depression measuring 98m east- west by 90m north-south. It is up to 1m in depth, dry or water-filled dependent on the season. Six pipes or channels lead off the main pool, formed by earth banks and linear hollows. The three western pipes are the most complex, separated by earth banks; the central western pipe has an additional wide channel turning back most of the way towards the main pool. The shallow pipes vary in width from 2m-5m. The eastern pipe earthworks are lower than those to the west. A protrusion from the centre of the north bank has been interpreted as a landing stage for a decoy-man’s boat. The banks surrounding the pool slope down at a regular low angle. At the eastern end between the pipes are two shelves or reed ledges for attracting water fowl to the pipe entrances. The north west corner of the enclosure is the possible site of the water supply for the decoy pool - the pool door referred to in documentary sources. A linear hollow runs north west - south east from the entrance of the north west pipe towards the enclosure rhyne for a distance of 14m. This corner of the field is the most likely for both supply and outlet, though a small hollow leading out from the enclosure rhyne on the west, to the old course of the River Axe, may be associated. The channel of the River Axe is a major landscape feature, 8m-10m wide, 1m-1.5m deep, and used in part to convey water to and from the decoy, and possibly away also. A sluice arrangement would presumably have been in use, but this is not now discernible. This site was visited by the Rev F L Blathwayte in 1935 and H Savory in 1960. It is first mentioned in 1668 as being in the possession of the Popham family of Hunstrete House; it was re-dug in 1762, and is shown on a map of 1773. The pool was occasionally rented out as some records of catches and expenses are recorded; it provided income from apples, ice and firewood as well as from water fowl. The last definite account of the working decoy is in 1813.

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I think we definitely lucked out with the weather…my apologies!

Poor ducks :hushed: And I thought it was the foundations of a 4 turret fortification, such as Harlech :wink:

I was hoping for some sort of amazing Fort too! Poor ducks indeed, I guess in those days duck was on the menu more frequently.

Lovely shots and interesting too…well done. Great incentive for a newbie, thank you !!

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