Porchestall Drove

Out for a bike ride this afternoon, I was rather taken by this dilapidated gateway into one of the meadows off Porchestall Drove, a typical sight on the Levels and best seen large.

Droves on the Somerset Levels were originally narrow "green lanes" giving access to the fields and meadows, particular for cattle, from the main public highways. Some are still basically rough tracks, others like Porchestall have been tarmaced, but are still liable to subsidence, running as they do over rather boggy ground. and being flanked by ditches, or rhynes, which drain water off the fields into the rivers.

Spent the morning writing up reports on yesterday's visit, so it was good to get out on the bikes for a while.