Walks in Blue Spaces - One Year On
WWT Steart Marshes volunteers have been running Walks in Blue Spaces on a Thursday morning for a year now, and that is certainly something to celebrate. These Health Walks are overseen by Somerset’s activity specialists, SASP (Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership), and are part of their county-wide offering of carefully graded, regular walks, which are free to participate in. Many people do not like to walk alone, or actively prefer to walk in company. Many lose confidence in walking following health, or other, crises. There is flexibility in going up to a higher grade walk as fitness improves, or returning to something less challenging if that is more manageable. It is also a great way to get to know an area if you are new to our gorgeous and fascinating county, and a fabulous way to make new friends.
We like to say that Walks in Blue Spaces are health walks with a ‘superpower’ - the power of wetlands! On the walks, we leaders enjoy sharing our own enthusiasm about Steart, whether about its inception and development as a demonstration wetland creation site, the birds, dragonflies and flora which have flourished here over the decade, or the multitude of creative opportunities it offers to painters, photographers and writers. We are always on the lookout for seasonal highlights. Today’s walk (09.01.25) featured the crispest of blue skies, views of distant snow topped Quantock and Mendip hills, icy patterned puddles hundreds of Lapwings (collective noun, a ‘deceit’) and wheeling Golden Plover overhead (the collective term for plover on the ground is a ‘congregation’, and in the air, a ‘wing’).
We admired the glistening muddy banks of the Parrett at low tide and felt proud that our section of the river is so awe inspiring relative to the trickle it starts out as! We noticed that the newly-created Wetter for Waders funded scrapes have unsurprisingly filled up with water and are attracting avian visitors, and that volunteers, wardens and contractors have been busy putting up better predator-proof fencing to deter foxes and badgers from getting through to young ground nesting birds in the Spring. That way we hope to be able to show walkers one of the site highlights, fluffy baby Avocet chicks. In the meantime we kept an eye out for the Glossy Ibis spotted on the marshes the previous day but alas no sign.
Looking back over the year, other special moments include: walking the ‘Summer path’ between the Tower Hide and the Breach (in the river bank) amongst the soft wavy grasses, exploring the Stockland circuit, including a stop at the cowslip-filled churchyard, hearing the cry of larks and curlew from Wall Common, picking our way over the pebbles at the sea’s edge looking out to Flat Holm and beyond, visiting the Quantock Hide to see artist Margaret at work with visitors on her fantastic mural, and dropping in on My Day volunteers making their willow Christmas wreaths. Our walks are adapted according to the abilities and preferences of those who turn up on the day.We have had (accompanied) children with and without their bikes, pet dogs large and small, individuals ranging from those recovering from medical setbacks wishing to regain fitness to seasoned long distance walkers who already have the Camino de Santiago under their belts! All bound together by a shared love of, and curiosity about, the great outdoors.
Visit the SASP website https://www.sasp.co.uk/health-walks for walks listings. Our walks are on the Sedgemoor schedule but there is nothing to stop you from joining walks further afield, although we do recommend checking with the walk leader before attending for the first time. New walkers are encouraged to complete a simple registration either on the day or online.
WWT Steart Marshes walks take place on Monday mornings, setting off at 10.00am, level 1, and on Thursday mornings, also setting off at 10.00 am, level 2 or 3. We look forward to seeing you.
