WALKING
We do like to be beside
Coast is partnering with the Ramblers each month to promote coastal walking. In this month’s column, walking experience manager HEATHER THOMPSON explains why walking the coast provides such a boost to body and mind
From boosting our mood to reducing anxiety, the mental benefits of spending time in green spaces are well known. But when it comes to our wellbeing, not all landscapes were created equal: in fact, studies have repeatedly shown that these positive effects are even more pronounced when we spend time by the sea.
Back in 2013, researchers conducted one of the most extensive studies to date into the effect of different natural environments on our happiness. In the study, 20,000 smartphone users were promoted to record where they were and their sense of wellbeing at random intervals. Coastal landscapes were found by some distance to be the happiest locations.
Whether it’s the sea breeze on our cheeks or the gentle rhythm of the rolling waves, spending time by the sea has a deep psychologically restorative effect. So as the sun begins to peek out from behind the clouds and summer draws ever nearer, now’s the perfect time to get out exploring.
And this fantastic circular route in Carhampton, Somerset has something for everyone: from panoramic views to a landscape rich with centuries of history.
Starting out at the Carhampton Recreation Centre, turn left along the main road towards the Butchers Arms. Bear left down the lane opposite the pub and to the left of the Church of St John the Baptist, a Grade I listed 11th century church.
Continue ahead as it becomes a green lane and after crossing a small stream, turn immediately right through a kissing gate and follow the footpath on your left. Pass through a couple more kissing gates before heading across a field towards the sea and a kissing gate. Follow the path round to the right onto a track which ends at the road.
Turn left along the road and cross over the railway by Blue Anchor Station, a reopened Victorian station that is now part of the West Somerset Railway, the longest standard gauge independent heritage railway in the UK. Go down the steps onto the beach and head left along the coast path towards Dunster. Follow the coast for about a mile until you cross the wide concrete outfall and reach the car park at Dunster Beach.
Turn inland along the road and as you walk, look up at the hill ahead to see the Conygar Tower, a folly built in 1775 whose name is a combination of the medieval ‘coney’ for rabbit and ‘garth’ for garden. Cross the railway and continue past a cul de sac. At the end of the pavement, as the road goes right, go left through a gate along the Riverside Jubilee Walk. Start with your river on th
