Dog-friendly walks and days out around Taunton

The towpath of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, a little over 14 miles long according to the Canal & River Trust, skirts the foot of the Quantock Hills. The canal opened in 1827 and runs mostly through countryside, and the towpath is well maintained. Its page leaves out whether dogs are allowed and points to separate dog-walking guidance, so read that before setting off. For a flat walk straight out of Taunton, it is the obvious start.

What do canal-side roofs show you?

Low, level ground means shelter from some winds and slow drying after rain. A roof on the shady side of a hedge or tree line grows moss sooner, and moss holds water against tiles and slates. Look for moss in a band just above the gutter. That often means the gutter is overflowing and soaking the first courses, which then rot or crack in frost.

Should you clean moss off yourself?

Not with a jet wash. Marley does not recommend jet washing a roof, because the force can wear away the face of slate or tile. Cleaning calls for the right products used by someone who has read the label, and clearing the gutters is often the better first move. Our roof maintenance checklist covers what an owner can safely do from the ground.

The towpath is also an easy place to spot sagging ridges and slipped tiles on the houses and barns beside it, so look up as well as at the dog.

Somerset Council looks after public parks and open spaces across the former Taunton area, and the River Tone runs through the town. The council's parks pages are the place to check, since dog rules can differ from one park to the next. Look for signs at each entrance, and ask the council if a rule is unclear.

What do you see on a town walk?

A mixed bag. Victorian terraces with long slate slopes sit beside interwar estates, and newer streets with factory-made tiles and dry-fix ridge and verge systems. A verge is the finish at a gable end, where the tiles stop, and the ridge is the highest horizontal line, where the slopes join. A dry-fix system holds both with clips and caps in place of a bed of mortar.

Why does the ridge matter after a windy day?

It sits highest and takes the most wind. After a gale, a stroll past a row of houses can show a ridge tile that has shifted, a gap along a verge, or a few tiles on the pavement. Marley notes that the 2014 revision of BS 5534 stopped ridge and hip tiles from being held by mortar alone. Typical UK ridge tile replacement runs between £225 and £550 (MyJobQuote, Oct 2026).

If you see something loose on a neighbour's roof, a polite word beats a photo. Our guide to preparing a roof for winter explains what to look at before the weather turns.

Chimneys catch the eye on a walk too. A stack that leans, or pots that tilt, deserves a word with the owner, and in wind it is worth keeping dogs and children well back until someone has looked. Chimney work often needs scaffold, so it is better planned in settled weather.

North of Taunton, the Quantock Hills were designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1956 under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949. Since the rename in November 2023 the area is called a National Landscape, and it covers about 100 square kilometres. The official site lists walks and rides in its visitor guide. Check its guidance on dogs before you go, especially on open ground with livestock.

Does a protected hill change which roof jobs need consent?

For some jobs, yes. Dormers face tighter planning rules in a National Landscape, and our page on adding a dormer in the Quantocks or Blackdowns goes through them. Changing a covering for the same material is a different case, covered in our guide to planning permission for roof work. The name change did not alter the law, and on Exmoor itself, Exmoor National Park Authority handles planning, not Somerset Council.

What does hill weather do to a roof?

Gales and slanting rain will find any joint that has loosened. A verge with the mortar falling out, a lifted flashing, a tile sitting higher than the rest: each lets rain blow in sideways. Roofs high on a slope face more of this than roofs in the valley, so on any hill-village survey we look at the exposed gable and ridge first.

Keep a note of the wind direction when a leak starts. It tells us which slope to open first.

South of Taunton, the Blackdown Hills are another protected area. The area's official site records the November 2023 change, when the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty became the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, as with others across England. The designation dates from 1991, and the area's own official site sets out what it covers and how visitors are asked to behave. The same dormer rules apply as on the Quantocks.

What kind of building sits on the hill edge?

Farm buildings, barns and cottages with long roof runs and little shelter. Some have clay tiles, some slate, some profiled sheet on the agricultural buildings. We would not guess the material without seeing the roof, and that is how we work: the survey reads the covering, the battens beneath and the state of the underlay, then you receive pictures from your own roof and one price in writing.

How do you tell old underlay from new?

Old bitumen felt turns brittle and tears where it sags between rafters. Modern HR underlay and felt do not breathe, which leaves a cold roof space under them reliant on eaves airflow, and BS 5250 sets the sizes. Our page on roof underlay types explains the differences in plain terms.

After a long wet walk, a dog towel and a quick look at the loft are about the same kind of job: checking for damp before it spreads. A torch and ten minutes on a dry day is enough, and you can stay off the roof itself. Look for dark streaks on timbers, flattened insulation and daylight where none should be, and photograph anything odd. Those pictures help a roofer more than a description over the phone.

Two destinations outside Taunton make a full day. Hestercombe describes itself as a historic house and gardens, with grounds of around 50 acres and a garden history spanning three centuries. The West Somerset Railway runs about 20 miles of heritage line from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead. Check the dog policy on both sites before planning a day with one.

What can a roofer learn from a heritage site?

How long a roof lasts when someone keeps at it. Historic buildings are repaired a little at a time instead of replaced, and the order of work matters: stop the water first, sort the gutters and downpipes second, then deal with the covering. An ordinary house deserves the same order.

Is it worth repairing an old roof?

Often, when the structure under it is sound. Repair wins on cost where the battens and rafters are sound and the covering has only local faults. Renewal wins when the underlay has perished across a slope or the nails have rusted through, because then every repair is short-lived. CORC rates well-maintained slate at 100 years or more, while Marley expects concrete tiles to last around 60 years and does not offer that as a warranty.

Our guide on season-by-season roof checks shows how owners keep up with small jobs before they grow.

East and north-east of Taunton the land flattens into the Somerset Levels and Moors. GOV.UK says they rank with the lowest-lying ground in the UK, with 18% of Somerset below average tide level, and that flooding there is on record from the 1600s. In 2014 the Environment Agency estimated 100 million cubic metres of floodwater, with 172 properties flooded. Walkers use paths across this ground, so check conditions before you go.

How do you check a walk for flood risk?

GOV.UK has a tool showing the long-term flood risk of a property, plus a page with current flood warnings. The checker is the right source for any address, and conditions change.

Why does low ground matter to a roof?

Not much directly, since a roof sits above the water. Indirectly it matters: gutters and downpipes carry rain away from walls, and if they block or leak at a joint, water collects against the base of the wall and adds to damp in places that already stay wet. Our page on how often to clean gutters answers the usual question.

If a storm has already hit your roof, ring the insurer before anything else, patch the damage temporarily so it cannot spread, and keep the photos and receipts. Cover depends on the policy wording, so read yours closely.