What is ‘sense of place’?
A ‘sense of place’ is the term used to describe the emotions and experiences we associate with places. It’s how places make us feel.
A sense of place is what gives an area its identity and makes it different from elsewhere. It is made up of the different landscapes, wildlife, history, people, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, memories and many other things that contribute to our experience of a place.
It changes when we travel from home to work, or from the city to the countryside, or when visiting familiar or new places. One way of understanding it is to think about how you might describe the area where you live – which words would you use, what would you focus on, how does it make you feel when you picture it in your mind? That’s a sense of place.
The Toolkit, at a Glance.
How is this relevant to me?
A sense of place can influence the choices we make over where to live, work and spend our holidays. It can influence the value we place on products and services offered by businesses. It contributes to our culture and the identities of local communities. It can even impact on people’s health and quality of life.
Everyone has their own understanding of sense of place, whether they use the term or not. If you are an individual with an interest in the local area, or you belong to a community group, business or organisation, then the more you develop an understanding of your area the more you will appreciate its qualities.
This can benefit you and your community in a number of ways. For example it can:
- Help bring communities together and connect people with the landscape
- Add value to local products and services and help businesses develop new products
- Provide inspiration for education and the creative arts
- Improve the ‘welcome’ and local knowledge offered by tourism staff
- Strengthen the identity or ‘brand’ of an area by encouraging different groups to work together in promoting its special qualities
Examples of Sense of Place
Reiff Steading is a self-catering holiday cottage in Coigach. Owners Ruth and Angus first visited Reiff Steading in 2009 as guests and when the property was put for sale in 2019, they purchased the property.
The Reiff Steading website is evocative and Ruth and Angus use their personalities and story to talk about the property. Beautiful photographs accompany information about local places to visit and activities. Visit: https://www.reiffsteading.co.uk/
Walker’s Guide to Durness
[Text to be inserted]
We’ll be updating this page with examples of businesses using a sense of place approach. If you’d like to be featured, get in touch at: info@nwhgeopark.com
Sense of Place Toolkits
Coigach & Assynt
Coigach & Assynt
This Toolkit can help you make the most of being a part of Coigach & Assynt. It contains art and stories designed to communicate what Coigach & Assynt are like, from the perspective of the people that live here.
Scourie area
Scourie area
[TEXT TO BE INSERTED]
Kinlochbervie area
Kinlochbervie area
[TEXT TO BE INSERTED]
Durness area
Durness area
[TEXT TO BE INSERTED]