Become a Friend of Quantock and Own a Little Piece of the Hills
In 2012 the County Council decided to shed unwanted assets under the provisions of the Localism Act and sold us 400 acres of Land on the Quantock Common for a nominal £1 to hold on behalf of the people of Somerset. The land is in two blocks.
Over Stowey Customs Common
Over Stowey Customs Common lies beside the road from Crowcombe to Over Stowey and extends from the cattle grid at the top of Crowcombe Hill to the one at Friarn above Over Stowey. It is a long narrow strip of land between the road and the Boundary of the Forestry Commission’s plantations in Great Wood.
The western half is largely open and includes the track leading down into the top of Ramscombe. In the centre is Dead Woman’s Ditch, an important prehistoric monument of a bank and ditch which crosses our land from north to south.
Adjacent to it is a car park. The eastern end is increasingly wooded with another small car park at Sandybeds.
Halsway Hill
Halsway Hill lies above Halsway Manor on the western side of the main ridge. Along the ridge track Halsway Post marks the eastern corner and the boundary then follows the track to a little short of Bicknoller Post where there is a standing stone beside the track. To the west the land drops down Paradise Combe to meet the enclosure boundary that climbs round behind Halsway Manor and drops down again into Halsway Combe, which forms the southern boundary.
It is all open heathland with a mixture of bracken, whortleberry and heather, grazed by sheep and ponies belonging to the commoners. There are several bronze-age barrows on the top of the hill from where there are wonderful views to the south and west.
Our Land Management
The society derives no income from the land as the grazing rights belong to the commoners, an ancient practice going back hundreds of years, whereby farms around the foot of the hill have rights to pasture their stock on the hill.
The commoners are responsible for maintaining the grazing but the society has to find money to manage the woodland, heritage monuments and rights of way. We have a team of observers who walk the land to ensure that it is in good order. It is a responsibility that we are proud to shoulder on behalf of the many people who enjoy the hills.