The area around Bexhill is full of interesting places where you could take your older friend or relative for a gentle stroll that’s good for the soul.
Whether you or your aging adult is able to walk or is in a wheelchair, getting out of the house occasionally and having a spell in the fresh air is an enjoyable activity. At Home Instead Bexhill and Hastings, our clients find it both invigorating and relaxing. It gives them the chance to see new (or familiar) sights and perhaps even meet one or two people. And whether it’s by the seaside or in the countryside, there are plenty of areas to explore around places like Battle, Bexhill and St Leonards.
Starting in Battle, you and your older person might enjoy wandering along at least part of a four and a half mile circular walk that takes in some of the key sites relating to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. If your elderly relative or friend can manage the whole walk, it will take you through Battle Great Wood, Battle Abbey (the spot where King Harold is believed to have died) and the 1066 battlefield – and also past the Battle Museum.
The trail is described as an easy walk through woodland. There are no stiles but it does have some sections that are hilly, and a few places that can be very muddy when there’s been some recent rain.
The Keane Trail is very popular with fans of the international super group, Keane. Your older loved one might not have heard of them – but the trail encompasses some great places to visit. It includes various locations in Bexhill, Battle and Hastings that are all mentioned by Keane in their album ‘Strangeland’.
The Keane Trail website links the band’s lyrics to the different landmarks. The website also has an online map that shows the landmark locations as well as postcodes for those who use a satnav to find them. And you can also visit The Sovereign Light Café in Bexhill, which was immortalised by Keane in their song of the same name.
Following storms in November 2000, exposed dinosaur tracks were discovered on the foreshore at Bexhill. For those who are more mobile and a little adventurous, visiting the area can be a pleasant way to spend some time. Collectors have been finding a wide range of fossils there, including crocodile, turtle and dinosaur remains. The best time to find them is at a very low tide.
To find the right area, go to Galley Hill. Stay on the A259 until you reach the roundabout by the industrial park with a large Tesco after it. There’s a car park at a bend in the road, next to the railway embankment, but don’t park there or you’ll be clamped! Park on the seaward side of the road just past the car park. Then walk back to the toilets, where there’s a walkway under the railway. Once on the beach, walk west. Good hunting!
Coombe Valley Countryside Park can be found in St Leonards on Sea. The park, which covers an area between Hastings and Bexhill, is about 2.3 square miles in size and includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest. There are various paths across the park as well as a new cycle way. Most of the paths are easily walkable but some can get muddy in places.
The park is a haven for wildlife, with over 2,400 species having been recorded there. They include herons, egrets, kestrels, buzzards, marsh harriers and tree creepers, as well as dragonflies, numerous insects and some rarer creatures. There are also many types of aquatic and wetland plants. The park includes a two-mile stretch of coastline from Galley Hill to St Leonards. It has a Discovery Centre and a café where you can sit with your loved one and watch the world go by.
So, if you think that your older loved one would benefit from a ramble or an amble in the open air somewhere near Bexhill, why not try one of the venues we’ve suggested? Alternatively, have a look on the internet and see if there’s somewhere even nearer your loved one’s home you could try.
And if your loved one needs practical and experienced support so that they can still continue to live at home, why not give us a call at Home Instead Bexhill and Hastings? We’ll happily talk through our approach to home care and explain all the options available. We provide care and elderly care in Bexhill, Battle, St Leonards and Hastings.