Walkers get uninterrupted access to coastline
From today (15 March 2016) walkers can enjoy an uninterrupted stroll from Minehead to Brean Down, right through the heart of WWT Steart Marshes, after the official opening of the first Somerset section of the England Coast Path.
Steart Marshes falls roughly half way along the 90km path. There walkers can enjoy views across hundreds of hectares of saltmarsh and freshwater wetlands which have been specially created.
WWT People Engagement Officer Lucy Bartlett said
“WWT Steart Marshes is a place where people can find out how our coast is changing, and learn about the benefits of managing that change in a way that’s sympathetic to nature.
“One benefit is the sense of well-being that people get from being outdoors in beautiful natural surroundings and near water. Another is the economic benefit from all those people coming to have a lovely time.
“The England Coast Path promises to bring more of both of those, so we’re absolutely delighted that this stretch is now officially open. Somerset has an amazing coastline and it’s fantastic that people can get closer to more of it.”
Steart Marshes was completed in September 2014 after more than five years of working with the local community. It was designed and created as a natural flood defence scheme that would protect homes and businesses while replacing land lost to climate change in the Severn Estuary. WWT uses Steart Marshes to communicate how wetlands benefit people, at the same time as being great places to visit, that support thriving wildlife .
Steart Marshes is a partnership between the Environment Agency and WWT.
