Nature Calling – Caving and Creative Trip, Saturday 22 March

Saturday 22 March saw a creative group of young people come together from across North Somerset for a closer look at the Mendip Hills.

The young people made their way down into Goatchurch Cavern in Burrington Combe, weaving through tight crevasses and tricky cave formations. Composer and lyricist, Gwyneth Herbert, led an enchanting vocal activity referencing the witch song rituals of Mendip’s past, while documentary maker and nature interpreter Chris Howard enthralled the group with recorded sounds of wolves, bears, and mammoths from within the caves.

In the afternoon the young people and artists gathered outside on top of the Mendip plateau in a mini amphitheatre, dreaming up lyrics to create a song inspired by the day, which will feed into a sound production as part of Nature Calling, a national season of art linked to National Landscapes. The song began:

“Deep in the mouth of Mendip 

Behind those spiky teeth 

The spider sacks and hanging bats 

That listen as they sleep” 

Tim Haselden from the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team then took the group on a walk to Velvet Bottom nature reserve, opening our eyes to the nature around us with insightful facts about threatened species, such as the black oil beetle and adder.

Tim said “It was fantastic to work with Super Culture, Gwyneth and Chris to give local young people an opportunity to experience the fascinating wildlife, geology and history of the Mendip Hills National Landscape in such a fun and creative way.”

The whole trip was a real success with young people describing it as “unforgettable”, an “adventure” and “a trip of a lifetime”

In the words of Teagan, aged 15, “I was excited; I couldn’t sleep last night! You get to learn more about the past and find out where to go into the caves, and I found that really interesting.”

And from a parent, after the adventure, “I just wanted to say thank you for giving Finlay the opportunity to have such an amazing day. He had the best time – he’s come home with a big smile on his face! All his boxes ticked! He’s absolutely exhausted but very happy, and feeling very lucky to have had such a great day.”

The trip was part of ‘View In, View Out’ a Nature Calling project being created by artists Gwyneth Herbert, Jason Singh, Chris Howard with Sound UK, and commissioned by the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team and National Landscapes Association, in partnership with Super Culture, Activate and Poetry School. Funded by Arts Council England and Defra. 

Lead image credit Issac Holley