FREE Guided Walk & Write: Get to know the Mendips’ Wildlife

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-guided-walk-write-get-to-know-the-mendips-wildlife-tickets-1242464919019

Get close to nature, explore creativity & meet some friendly faces. All welcome, from newbies to seasoned writers & nature lovers. An afternoon of being creative, learning about wildlife, and walking part of Mendip Activities Centre’s 250-acre site, a haven for wildlife and ecology with an ancient woodland, rolling varied grassland and historic quarry.

You will be guided creatively by Beth, founder of The Poetry Machine, and nurtured with nature knowledge by Nathan, the Mendip Hills Landscape Team’s ecologist. We will draw inspiration from some of the Mendip Hills Champion Species such as Cheddar Pink, Skylark, Adder, and Horseshoe Bats. Our aim is to help you feel closer to our winged, clawed, scaly, leafy, petalled fellow Mendip residents, while connecting to the present moment and our beautiful surroundings. There will be no pressure to write, create, or share anything unless you’d like to.

What to expect

Meet at Mendip Basecamp near Mendip Activity Centre from 1.30pm for a 2pm start (we have sent more info about the meeting point by email). After the walking part of the workshop, we will decamp to Mendip Activity Centre between 3.45-4.30pm when we will enjoy some refreshments together.
We will be walking & writing outdoors for around 2 hours. The ground is uneven and can be slippery in places with some inclines and declines. The walk will be slow-paced with plenty of time to notice what’s around us, pausing to write and reflect. You will have the opportunity to participate in a selection of mindfulness-inspired writing activities, responding creatively to your own discoveries and to Nathan’s nuggets of knowledge with Beth’s guidance.

Please note

Please let us know if you have any access requirements, or if there is anything you need during the walk to help you feel more comfortable taking part.
There is parking and a toilet available at Mendip Activities Centre but not at the meeting point which is Mendip Basecamp. We will be outdoors for most of the workshop, so make sure to wrap up warm. We will send more info about what to bring and the route by email.

This workshop is suitable for those aged 18+. We ask that you do not bring your dog with you.
Spaces are limited to a maximum of 12. Please let us know if you are unable to make it so we can offer your space to someone else. If spaces are full, please join the waiting list and we will be in touch when a space becomes available.

More workshop dates

This is the third of four workshops in a series called “Mendip Words of Connection”, a collaboration between Beth Calverley & the Mendip Hills National Landscape Nature Connection Project. The next date is 26 April afternoon (Burrington Combe). You can sign up to the other workshops here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/mendip-words-of-connection-march-april-2025-4028003

With thanks

The Nature Connection Project is funded by the West of England’s Healthier with Nature Programme and Defra’s Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme. You can find out more about the project here – Mendip Nature Connections – Mendip Hills National Landscape (mendiphills-nl.org.uk).
This workshop builds on research from the University of Derby’s Nature Connectedness Research Group, exploring the 5 Pathways to Nature Connectedness.