Location: Lower Leas Coastal Park

Date: Thursday 6th July 2023

Blog Written by: Gini (Walk Leader)

It was a warm summers day, and not too hot to enjoy a gentle stroll on our wheeled scooters and chairs through the Coastal Park. Some clouds made a great pattern long the horizon.

We all noticed thay there was a slow start to the day, must have been something with the stars. Because we had all experienced slow traffic or people or stop signs on our journeys this morning

 So we waited at The Lift Cafe for everyone to arrive.

We began as always in the Mediterranean section, and those of us with a sense of smell, breathed in memories of Mediterranean sea air. We notice a change in the plants each time we wheel through the park. On this occasion, the agapanthus are now just ready for their blue floral display, just as the alliums are going to seed. The nasturtiums too are full of colour.

The trees were also displaying full green canopies with either strings and bouquets of blooms, nuts and seeds or pine cones developing.

Our path then led to the meadow, which is a perfect setting for Meadows day. It is the perfect spot for contemplation and spotting butterflies.

We saw meadow brown, painted lady, large white, and red admiral.

We stopped at the new toilet block next to the amphitheatre and was very impressed with the Disabled Access toilet. Although users would need to access and exit in the least obvious path / ramp due to the way the door opens. The drought friendly green roof is full of succulents and alpines with a pollinator friendly herbaceous border in front.

We scooted through the adventure playground to the Toll House and studied patterns on a variety of tree bark.

Then we wheeled down the path to the sea front and then along the sea wall around Mermaid Bay. Where we thought about ways which could enable wheeled swimmers to access the water.

It was lovely to see the coastal park from afar and a different angle. The tide was out and we could see the sandy shoreline to enter the sea.

We finished our walk at the Mermaid Cafe

Fabulous food and view overlooking the bay.

The overall consensus was that we all benefitted from the fresh air, enjoying others company and connecting to Nature. We felt uplifted and very relaxed afterwards.

📸 Image credit: Gini