Taddington

(5.1 miles)

Taddington is clustered around an ancient well on the north side of a ridge formed by a sill of Dolerite in the surrounding limestone. It is one of the highest villages in the area.

The church is mostly 14th century and has an enigmatic decorated shaft in the churchyard. The origins of the shaft are obscure, but it dates from at least Norman times.

About 2km West of the village, on the escarpment lies Five Wells chambered cairn. This is the highest megalithic tomb in England and must have been an impressive construction on this high point before it was eroded by the elements and robbed for stone. Twelve burials were found in the tomb when it was excavated.

At the eastern, lower end of the village (known as Town End), is a pub, the Queen's Arms, and outside the village on the A6 lies the Waterloo Hotel. Taddington has a well-dressing in mid-August.

Blackwell and Priestcliffe are two hamlets of a dozen houses each, sited between Taddington and the River Wye. Most of the dwellings are active farms.

The area below Blackwell, between it and the River Wye, has a series of ridges and terraces in the fields which are the remnants of a Britano-Roman field system, dating from around 400 AD.