St Thomas’s Head is not the ancient head of St Thomas – but you probably guessed that, it’s a headland just north of Weston-super-Mare where I live. Weston is on Glentworth Bay, and around a rocky headland and on the other side of Worlebury Hill is Sand Bay. At the end of Sand Bay is Woodspring (originally Worspring) Priory which was founded in 1210 by the family of Reginald FitzUrse, one of the knights who murdered St Thomas á Becket on the supposed orders of Henry II. Rising up above the Priory is Sand Point which is a promontory sticking out into the Bristol Channel. It’s lovely to walk over with great views up the River Severn, or over to Wales, or South to Devon. There is a Ministry of Defense station up here, but no-one knows what happens there…. it’s secret!
Middle Hope is the middle part of the point, the pointy end is actual Sand Point; the other direction, back above the coast heading north-eastish towards Clevedon, is Saint Thomas’s Head, where we went walking the other day. It was extremely blowy and very cold, but in pleasant company, who cares?
Lois Elsden 