Batcombe Hollow / Snow

Batcombe Hollow

by Jeff Bevan · Published 5th January 2021 · Updated 26th January 2021

Standing Stone – Batcombe Hollow, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID JB1_0998H

Batcombe Hollow

The hollow is on the southern slopes of the Mendip Hills in Somerset. From this steep sided valley are wide open views reaching across the Somerset Levels.

At the top of the valley is a small, but attractive, dew pond and an ancient standing stone. I’m not sure how old the standing stone is. It could the last of a pair of posts for a gate that is no longer around?

Batcombe Hollow – Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID JB1_1068H

It is rare to meet anyone else in the hollow. I took these pictures before the current lockdown, but even then it was felt good to get away from other people. So much so, I decided to have a go at a time-lapse video of the sunset. I have never done this before and it was fun learning experience.

Half an hour compressed into a few seconds.

Snow

At the same time a few years ago the valley looked very different. I was attending a conference down the hill in Draycott. During the morning it started to snow, so in the lunch break I dashed up the hollow with my camera.

Batcombe Hollow Gatepost – Draycott, Somerset, UK. ID JB3_9264

It is a good looking dew pond. These ponds are sometimes built at the top of hills to catch rain for livestock to drink. So they should probably be called rain ponds. I guess dew pond sounds a lot better?

Batcombe Hollow – Draycott, Somerset, UK. ID JB3_9273

Around here the landscape has two levels: the flat low land of the Somerset Levels to the south; and the flat-ish high plateau of the Mendips. Often there is a sharp dividing lines between their weather!

Batcombe Hollow – Draycott, Somerset, UK. ID JB3_9295

And Finally…

I had already checked out the direction of the sunset before walking up the hill. Using a phone app, I knew that looking down the hollow the sun would set straight ahead. I double checked this using the app’s 3D view before setting up my tripod.

Batcombe Hollow – Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID screen1

To make the time-lapse video I attached my phone to a tripod leg using a bendy grippy GorrillaPod. I had this one for Christmas and this was its first trip. They cling to pretty much anything.