Saxon Kings Way

History

The Saxon Kings Way is a linear walk of about 13.6 miles from Frome to Bath that links two Anglo-Saxon kings: Eadred, King of England from 946 to 955, who died in Frome in 955, and his nephew Edgar, King of England from 959 to 975, who was crowned in Bath Abbey in 973. It starts at the Cheese and Grain in Frome, where the Mendip Way East ends, and so links the Mendip Way East with the Cotswold Way. On the way it passes Laverton church, whose earliest parts date from Saxon times, and Hinton Charterhouse church, where some Saxon stonework can be seen, and it includes a section of the Two Tunnels Greenway at Midford. The route description credits Miriam and Chris Hare of Frome, who wrote it for Walkers are Welcome. In November 2019, at Frome's walking festival, Frome Town Council unveiled way-markers for the walk and for the Mendip Way on the front of the Cheese and Grain.