As we reach the end of the summer I always start to think about snatching that last bit of light and spending as much time outside as possible. Working as the Coast Path Officer on Somerset’s King Charles III England Coast Path means that I get to see the Coast Path and surrounding areas all year round, but there is something special about autumn as the leaves are turning, the views begin to open up and the hills turn yellow and purple with gorse and heather.
So, being asked to organise an event that would include the entire coast of Somerset and take place in the autumn, provided a fantastic opportunity to create something that would not only allow people to walk this beautiful stretch of coast, but also to help them learn about its history, discover its wildlife, benefit from its calming influence and experience the taste the flavours of Somerset. The Somerset & Exmoor Coast Festival does this and more.
Taking place between 21st and 29th September, at the heart of the festival is the 80 Miles in Eight Days Walking Challenge. Beginning at Brean Down, where the natural pier and extension of the Mendip Hills offers stunning views across the Channel to south Wales and the islands of Steep Holm and Flat Holm, the walk takes eight days and is a delight of changing countryside with everything from the seven mile sweep of golden sands backed by sand dunes at the start to saltmarshes, rolling hills, coastal towns and villages, moors with remote and rugged cliffside paths, shady woodlands, and the smallest Parish Church in England. Ending at County Gate you are at the heart of the landscape described by R D Blackmore in Lorna Doone, with Oare and Robber’s Bridge to the south and views of the East Lyn River and the headlands of valleys of the South West Coast Path.
The walks may seem long, but the Somerset coast includes long stretches with no hills, making these walks a perfect introduction to long distance walking. As day walks they range between eight and thirteen miles, with the earlier walks mainly on the flat and the last days on the start of the South West Coast Path offering more of a challenge.
Alongside the Challenge Walks are a host of shorter locally organised walks exploring the history of coastal villages like Dunster and Porlock, ecology walks in the Quantock Hills, poetry walks, Storywalks filled with fascinating facts and tales from the past and the Watchet Walking Week featuring walks for singing, art, poetry history and even a toddlers’ walk.
But it isn’t just walking, studies have shown that being on the coast is good for you, so the festival brings together activities that get people out exploring and learning. The timing coincides with the Marine Conservations Society’s Great British Beach Clean week, and local communities are organising beach cleans along the coast. It is also Somerset Art Weeks with installations and exhibitions all along the coast enabling you to create your own ‘art trail’.
This year we’re also supporting The Outdoor Guide Foundations campaign to raise funds for waterproofs and wellies in primary schools. We’re aiming to get the 10 sets of waterproofs and wellies for three local schools and have organised some Storywalks to help raise funds.
Feel inspired to join one of our walks? You can find out more about them and book your place by visiting somersetcoastfestival.co.uk