Siân Ellis discovers how new walks around Bath are bringing enjoyment and health benefits to a diverse range of people
When asked how many miles she has walked during the course of her work with Bathscape over the last couple of years Nicole Daw, Cotswolds National Landscape (CNL) Trails and Access Officer, raises her eyebrows and laughs.
She has explored the Circuit of Bath – launched in 2021 as a 21.5-mile waymarked walk around the fabulous World Heritage Site landscape – some five times (if you don’t fancy tackling it in one go, it is divided into four shorter sections). She has led lots of guided walks and, most recently, researched and created 18 self-guided walks spread across Bath and its surroundings.
Answer to the original question: who’s counting? More importantly: ‘Whether you are a visitor to Bath or a resident, there is a walk for you,’ Nicole says.
The Bathscape Scheme, launched in 2018, encourages people to get outside and enjoy the hills, valleys, grasslands and woodlands that frame the city. CNL has been busy working on walking routes and Nicole’s now-published suite of 18 ranges from circa one mile to eight miles in length. A mix of urban, rural, strenuous, gentle and wheel-friendly walks: each is supported with clear information on directions, stiles, terrain and facilities.
When developing the walks Nicole sought ideas from colleagues including Cotswold Voluntary Wardens, and, to ensure different interests, abilities and needs were taken into account, she chatted with a wide variety of community groups ranging from parent and toddler groups to people with specific health conditions and an Age UK walking group.
Voluntary route testers were also recruited to double-check that each walk’s instructions were clear and correct, or suggest enhancements like small detours to take in additional interesting features.
GOOD FOR THE SOUL
Jemma Bartholomew was among volunteer route testers and helped Nicole to formulate the St James’ Cemetery Little Loop: a short (0.75-mile), flat route in central Bath.
Jemma suffers with Chronic Fatigue (CF) and whereas once she was very active, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and hiking in Nepal, now she finds: ‘I don’t have the energy to do any kind of fitness activity, beyond [a] gentle walk.’
The impacts of CF (which include brain fog) mean she is unable to work, has little capacity to socialise, and rarely travels. Short walks in the fresh air with Boris, her Basset-Labrador cross, have become a hugely important part of her day-to-day enjoyment of living. ‘It’s well documented that being out in nature is really good for the soul and helpful for anyone struggling with any kind of illness.’
Sharing her experience of CF with Nicole on a recce to St James’ ensured important relevant information for walkers was included in the route directions.
‘There are a lot of people, like me, who have a burning desire to get out and do a short walk, but need to know they can park nearby, that the walk is level, that there is a resting spot somewhere like a convenient bench or log to sit on,’ Jemma says, adding, ‘It was surprisingly quiet in the cemetery given we were right by the main road. It was an unexpected, green and peaceful oasis.’
Jemma has since given feedback on other routes – ‘It has been really nice to be able to do something useful on a voluntary basis that is within my capacity’ – and particularly enjoys short stretches of Sensory Smallcombe: a walk encouraging people to tune into their senses as they explore a picturesque cemetery and surroundings including a calming stretch beside the canal. Jemma likes the slow pace and Boris ‘who loves sniffing anything and everything’ is in seventh heaven in the cemetery ‘because there is such a range of biodiversity, different grasses, flowers and wildlife.’
MINDFUL WALKING
Nicole is also involved in leading guided walks – there are two with Cotswold Voluntary Warden Steve Holbrow, April 15 and May 20, along sections of the Circuit of Bath (free, open to anyone, book via the CNL or Bathscape websites).
She organises private guided walks, too, reaching out especially to people who ‘maybe think it’s not possible for them to go on walks.’ Individuals with disabilities and carers’ families are among those who have enjoyed private walks tailored to their interests and needs.
Last autumn Nicole led a short foraging-themed walk with Bath Mind, the local, independent charity that provides mental health and wellbeing support to individuals across Bath and North East Somerset. The walk formed part of a nature-based activity programme to encourage people to be outdoors, says Angela Farr, Wellbeing Services Deputy Manager for Bath Mind:
‘We talked about nettles, looked at different trees – beech, hawthorn, elder – and even at herbs in someone’s amazing garden. We did some bird ID and ate blackberries. It opened up people’s eyes to what is around them locally. People that come on our walks can be experiencing a wide range of mental health problems; a walk like this can be a positive distraction, as they’re using all their senses to connect to nature. Being outside walking helps people to be mindful and learn more about the natural environment.’
Angela reports impressive positive feedback from walk participants: surprise at how good they felt being outdoors; improved mood; assuagement of social anxiety through being with other people and observing nature together yet without any obligation to be chatty. The ‘very powerful impact of being outdoors’ gave one socially anxious young man a stepping-stone to joining in the charity’s gardening group.
Nicole hopes to provide more guided walks to diverse groups throughout Bathscape and generally across the Cotswolds National Landscape – people with sight, hearing, learning or physical impairments, socially marginalised groups – so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of the outdoors. If your group is interested, do get in touch.
Nicole’s top 5 Bathscape self-guided walks
• Sensory Smallcombe; 2.1 miles: gently guiding individuals with sensory impairments or learning difficulties to experience nature. Also great for general wellbeing and slowing down!
• Wildlife & Waterways (on Wheels); 3 miles: the first walk I wrote and suitable for pushchairs and motorised wheelchairs, exploring the green and blue spaces of West Bath
• One tunnel from Springfield Park; 2.1 miles: starting in a lesser known Bath park, through one of the famous ‘two tunnels’ and rewarding walkers with incredible views over Bath
• Monkton Farleigh, a folly and a feat of engineering; 8 miles: the longest walk, very varied, with farmland, river, canal, the Dundas Aqueduct, Browne’s Folly – starting and finishing at a pub!
• South Stoke Circular; 3.4 miles: a pub-to-pub walk in beautiful countryside around Bath, up to South Stoke and down along the route of the Somersetshire Coal Canal
Further information
Book to join Bathscape guided walks and download Bathscape self-guided walks at cotswoldsaonb.org.uk or bathscape.co.uk. Walks are also available on the OutdoorActive app.
To discuss booking a guided walk with your group, contact Nicole Daw, email: Nicole.Daw@cotswoldsaonb.org.uk
Volunteers from Bath Mind and Bathscape lead Wellbeing Walks every Thursday – free and open to anyone – encouraging gentle physical activity and social interaction. More at bathmind.org.uk
