Nordic Walk to Stourhead

Holiday catch up with colleagues. What was a planned 5.5 mile walk to King Alfreds Tower turned into a 8 mile endurance hike when we took one wrong turn and got lost in the woods. Two "very nice"lumberjacks" set us on the right track. King Alfred's Tower is a folly and really serves no purpose but nevertheless its size and beauty make it an imposing addition to the landscape.

The project to build the tower was conceived in 1762 by the banker Henry Hoare II owner of Stourhead and creator of its famous garden. The tower was intended to commemorate the end of the Seven Years War against France and the accession of King George III. The tower is 49 m high and triangular in plan with round projections at each corner. Visitors can climb the 205 steps inside to a small platform with a crenellated parapet. It is estimated that 1.2 million bricks were used and the bricklayers used no scaffolding , instead sitting on the rising walls as they were built. When we "eventually" completed our walk a superb lunch was taken at nearby Spreadeagle Inn - a cheddar ploughman with the most amazing "warm" ale pickle.