Leave the car park back onto the road; turn right and again right into Plum Lane. Pass houses, with glimpses of the lake on your right. At the cupressus hedge fork left, and after 65yds (60m) keep ahead on path to side of River Parrett. Turn right to pass under the low arch of a railway bridge, the Somerset Bridge. Cross the attached footbridge and turn back left under another low arch. Continue upstream on a lane with the River Parrett now on your left. Reed beds and flooded ground are on the right, and you pass the Summerhayes Fisheries. Under the motorway the track turns aside to the right, ignore this and continue ahead next to the river. Go through one gate, and continue along a field to go through another gate into the Screech Owl Nature reserve (unsigned). The path leaves the reserve at a second gate, and continues beside the river on the embankment. It emerges at a gate onto a lane.

Turn right, crossing the railway by a bridge. As the lane rises again towards a second bridge, this time over the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, turn right along the towpath. Head along the wide, smooth path: the canal is on your left, with glimpses of the Quantock Hills behind the modern distribution centre buildings in the distance. After 0.5 miles (800m) you reach the Boat and Anchor Inn. Continue past the inn and under the M5 motorway. About 0.25 miles (400m) later a small swing bridge crosses the canal at the end of Marsh lane.

Cross this and continue with the canal on your right. The towpath passes under the brick arch of Hamp Bridge. Keep the canal on your right to pass the sluice where the surplus canal water drains into the River Parrett, now running parallel with the canal. Opposite this, to your left, is a small pond. The tow path passes under a bridge, and, after 130yds (118m), a wider one carrying the A38, to join a tarred wide path. Fewer than 20 paces later turn left through a gap to turn right alongside Browne Pond to a tarred path. This rises to cross the canal on another little brick bridge. On the other side, take the right fork to arrive at a large crossroads with traffic-lights.

Cross the A39 on your left and turn left into Taunton Road. After approximately 300yds (274m), cross the road to the church and bear right along Cornhill to reach the Blake Statue. Continue ahead down pedestrianised Fore Street to cross a railed bridge over the River Parrett.

Turn right along Salmon Parade. Cross the A38 into a riverside lane signed ‘Colley Lane Industrial Estate’.

After 350yd (320m), opposite a fire station, a concrete ramp leads up the gravel path beside the river. Follow this along and under Somerset Bridge, then retrace your steps to the car park.