10/11/2025
Some moments in autumn. The fire is in the beech leaves, serpents in the branches of the ancient mossy oak pollards at Croft Ambrey, one of my favourite places. It’s an Iron Age hill fort with a Romano-Celtic temple and a medieval warren of up to five pillow mounds ( used for rabbit farming) on the summit of a prominent steeply sloping spur overlooking Yatton Marsh and the valley of a tributary to Allcock’s Brook. Below the hill fort is the beautiful Fishpool Valley, landscaped during the late 18th century in the naturalistic ‘Picturesque’ style. There’s a chain of dams and pools, carefully planted trees and architecture such as the icehouse, grotto, pumphouse and limekiln. The ponds are so beautiful in the autumn. There are also some stunning g hornbeams at the gateways as you walk up, like sentinels, and majestic sweet chestnuts that are sadly dying but still standing in an avenue .
