Why I go out walking footpaths . . .

 

Rainwater in tyre tracks; picture taken in a field in Stevington, Bedfordshire (photo from personal collection)

I find myself most happy when the path I am walking is empty of other hikers and ramblers. Not because I have any ill feelings towards anybody I might meet there, but because I am far more introverted than I am extroverted. That, and because I prefer to be the only witness to how much I wheeze and struggle when I have to conquer any uphill paths - a love for walking does not necessarily translate to peak physical fitness, unfortunately. 

There is a great part of my love for walking that is about escape. Getting away from the day-to-day and the mundane, some time with myself. All the more better if the woods through which I am walking are an awful spot for mobile phone reception.

Of course, there is also the fact that nature and wildlife can be found along those paths. I grew up in the countryside and developed a love for the foxes, deer, hedgehogs . . . and any number of other wonderful wildlife sights I spotted there. They take my breath away when I see them from those footpaths. Still.

Perhaps, if I had grown up in a much more grey and concrete urban setting I would not have the love that I do for paths lined by trees and flowers and grasses. Maybe I should be much more grateful that I had the privilege of growing up in a small English village. I think some of the moments I was most at peace could be found in the hours I explored the countryside public footpaths with my dog when I was younger.

There are now a number of studies that suggest nature is good for our mental wellbeing. The mental health charity, Mind, lists the ways in which nature is beneficial to our mental health and can ease ill mental health (How nature benefits mental health - Mind). I didn't know this when I fell in love with the footpaths around my home in my younger years. But, as somebody who is acquainted with anxiety quite well, I can definitely attest to how walking in nature soothes the mind.

The view from a bench - Bromham, Bedfordshire (photo from personal collection)

This blog is intended to be a nature and wildlife blog, but it is also a blog about the ways in which I interact and engage with nature. It is an expression of love for that nature and wildlife. 

I thank you for reading, and if you want to start a discussion about the ways in which you engage with nature and wildlife, please do leave a comment below.

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