My Somerset Levels – what this landscape means to me – by Paul Jones

Paul Jones is the Editor of The Somerset Leveller – a weekly, free newspaper with the widest circulation of all newspapers in Somerset.  This piece was published in The Somerset Leveller when we launched our campaign for the Somerset Levels to become a National Park and we are delighted to share it here.

We moved to Somerset in 2015, largely unaware of much of the county’s eventful history – and its environmental significance. While annual visits to Pilton (for Glastonbury, of course) meant we had taken in some of Somerset’s stunning countryside, the sheer magnitude of the Levels escaped us – until we lived here.

Like the Norfolk Broads, the Somerset Levels have to be seen to be believed, to truly understand the scale, the diversity of wildlife and so much more.

Luckily, there are lots of places from which to appreciate it, from Brent Knoll to Glastonbury Tor and countless stops in between, where visitors can take in the staggering size and beauty of this unique landscape. My family and I are lucky enough to see it every day, with stunning views from our house across the Levels – from Langport to the Quantocks, via Burrow Mump – which never fail to gladden the heart.

It is truly humbling to watch the seasons roll over the Levels, from the stunning colours as the sun rises and sets, to the unbroken walls of mist and the blanket of frost in chillier climes covering rivers and streams which criss-cross the patchwork of green fields, with occasional farmhouses giving everything scale.

On every look out the window or walk out the front door, one will encounter some staggering wildlife – from herds of cows and sheep to birds of prey circling overhead, or starling murmurations presenting a mind-blowing display of coordination and seemingly impossible numbers.

My children, who have never known anything else, sometimes seem to take it all for granted. They are accustomed to the beauty of their home, as are so many of us in the Somerset.

That is a special thing – living, working and playing somewhere so beautiful and not thinking anything of it.

But sometimes, we should step back and appreciate what we have.
Somerset should be proud of its unrivalled – and largely unheralded – scenery. It is stunning. And the Levels perhaps best encapsulate everything that is great about our natural world.

Being designated a National Park seems the perfect way to recognise this, and the perfect way to help CPRE mark its 100th year.

The Levels should be protected – and in the future will need it as climate change continues – so a legal obligation to look after it would be no bad thing, either.

Love Somerset. Love your Levels.