My Space in Nature

As part of our Regenerate campaign we have been meeting up with individuals across Somerset to find out a little about places in the countryside that were important to them during the lockdown period. The countryside regenerates us both physically and mentally, and for a long time it was the only place we were able to spend time other than in our homes. 

It has been really interesting to learn about where people go to regenerate their bodies and minds, whilst also learning to appreciate the countryside on their doorstep more. Here are a few of the photographs we have taken so far:

“7 years ago in May 2013 my wife and I were buying a house. We went for a walk just down the road from the place we were buying and I looked back and saw the most wonderful view. I’ve never tired of it since.”

My allotment has been a real haven for me during the lockdown period. With work and school all happening from home alongside all the anxieties of a pandemic, this was a lovely space to escape to in order to spend time in nature doing something positive. I felt so grateful to have the time to make some real progress with my space in nature, and have been enjoying home-grown food all year! 

“”In these recent months, like so many people, I have felt an even greater need to see and be close to nature. Cycling through this lovely countryside near my home, has both refreshed and enlivened me in these difficult times.  This area is called West Sedgemoor and is part of the Somerset Levels.  Some of it is a nature reserve. Earlier in the Spring I see the Cranes which now nest here and are thriving in this damp green landscape, together with the many Herons and Egrets who nest in the woodlands above. The mysterious call of the rare Curlew makes my heart soar. There is joy in spotting the vivid Yellow Wagtails along reed-fringed ditches, coming here all the way from tropical Africa, a reminder of our unbreakable connection to the wider wilder world. This for me, is my Space in Nature.”

“I have always loved walking in these hills. They are so vast, that they should be a space for everyone to enjoy. I have walked up here for years, and I never tire of the view. There is a great history behind them and we must do our bit to regenerate and protect them.

“As a history student I love spending time in these woods knowing that so many of our ancestors also walked here. I sometimes come here for wild camping, and I love opening the tent in the morning to see ponies eating grass outside. It is also deer rutting season, and although I haven’t seen them, you can hear it very clearly from the tent. It is such a peaceful spot to clear your head, go mountain biking or to get some exercise.” 

“Kilmersdon is a Somerset village I visit frequently: it has a beautiful setting, a long history and great traditions such as its school, its church, its farming, its pub and its Jack and Jill Hill. CPRE aims to protect villages like this from unwelcome development out of keeping with such history. This is my space in nature”.