Get right next to nature

A SERIES of spectacular nature reserves in the Somerset Levels can be more easily accessed without a car as part of a trial which runs until March 2026.

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The Avalon Marshes Centre lies on Shapwick Road just outside Westhay, and provides a gateway to several national nature reserves (NNRs), including Shapwick Heath, Shapwick Moor and Westhay Moor.

The Avalon and Poldens local community network (LCN) recently launched the ‘Step, Ride, Thrive’ initiative to improve transport links between the nature reserves and local communities. The initiative will see the local 668 bus service (run by Libra Travel) call directly at the visitors’ centre until March 2026, as well as providing support for local cyclists and schools to encourage active travel.

This project comes as Natural England prepares to showcase conservation efforts at Westhay Moor as part of a series of new films which are being uploaded to YouTube over the summer.

The films are being funded by Natural England with contributions from the the University of Exeter and National Trust as part of the wider RENEW project, which is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The film series, entitled ‘Wild West Country Odyssey’ features poems by University of Exeter poetry professor John Wedgwood Clarke and is designed to bring conservation efforts to a wider audience in a more accessible way.