Family hike to see the snowdrops of medieval origin in North Hawkwell Wood, Somerset. The River Avrill flows from Dunkery Beacon (519 m.) past the old oaks in the wooded valley. Legend has it that snowdrops arrived in Britain with the Benedictine monks in the 11th Century; snowdrops were first planted here in the 13th Century as a symbol of Candlemas, the feast day in early February in celebration of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. The unusually early flowering of the demure white flowers must have been particularly impressive before the days of commercial propagation and ubiquity.
We hiked past flocks of Exmoor Horn sheep, one of England’s classic breeds.
Exmoor Horn Sheep, Dunkery Beacon (519 m.) in the distance
