Sunday 6th September
- Time: Meet at 10.30 for an 11.00 start
- Where: Meet at Lydeard Hill car park at 10.30 (OS reference 180 338 Explorer Map 140 Quantock Hills & Bridgwater)
- Distance: Approximately 6km
- Duration: Approximately 2hrs
- Other: The walk is over undulating ground and stout footwear is essential.
- The upstairs area of The Rising Sun in West Bagborough has been booked for after the walk for anyone interested in a pub lunch.
You won’t be alone in saying, “Who?” when reading the title of this post. Although, perhaps, not as well known as some of his peers the fact he is commemorated in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey speaks volumes for Thomas’ work.
Edward Thomas (1878–1917) was an English poet, critic and writer whose poetry is celebrated for its vivid depictions of the English countryside and its exploration of solitude, change and the impact of the First World War. Although he wrote poetry for only three years, he is regarded – by some – as one of the most important British poets of the twentieth century. Encouraged by his friend Robert Frost, Thomas developed a distinctive, modern style that combined a deep love of nature with reflections on loss and alienation. He was killed at the Battle of Arras in 1917, shortly after his first collection of poems was published
“At any rate the Quantocks were to be my goal. I had a wish of a mildly imperative nature that Spring would be arriving among the Quantocks at the same time as myself”. – In Pursuit of Spring
The walk will offer the chance to see the landscape Edward Thomas described in the concluding chapter of In Pursuit of Spring, where he describes his bike ride from London to the Quantocks over the Easter weekend of 1913…on a journey to find spring coming the other way.
Thomas’ journey included stops at Kilve, East Quantoxhead and Crowcombe as well as the Rising Sun in West Bagborough, before he finished his expedition at the top of Cothelstone Hill.
If you’re interested in joining the walk please contact Nick Denton of the Edward Thomas Fellowship at [email protected] The walk is free to attend and non-members are very welcome.
To book on to this – free – event – find out more about Edward Thomas, his works and the Fellowship click on the link below.