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lockdown life
One of the benefits of this enforced ‘anthropo-pause’ may well turn out to be an increased connection to nature and a heightened awareness of the value and importance of the wild.
With the government prescribing a daily ‘constitutional’ at the start of lockdown, many people have taken to walking as a mental and physical health tonic, almost a national duty, making hiking seem an essential human right rather than an optional pastime. I’ve a friend who calculates she’s walked 582 miles since being furloughed at the start of April.
While the reduction in traffic has enabled birdsong to echo more loudly through urban parks and gardens, and goats, civets and deer have reclaimed spaces abandoned by humans, we have also woken up to appreciate the value of the natural world as a place to rest, recover and connect.
People have been gardening like never before, be it growing vital produce while grocery shopping was difficult, or enjoying nurturing the garden for beauty, pleasure and usefulness.
There are claims that time spent in nature boosts the immune system, reduces blood-pressure and staves off loneliness, which health benefits have a strong appeal during a global pandemic. Add to that the link between obesity and severity of infection, and ‘green exercise’ is likely to become a GP-prescribed nature cure of huge importance.
Given the difficulties of overseas holidays this summer, sales of camping equipment have sky-rocketed, wild swimming has become hugely popular, and people are discovering walks and adventurous activities in beautiful local spots during their staycations.
Since outdoor activities are amongst the safest, workshops, classes and meetings are being shifted outside, and eco-therapy is undergoing a boon. Small group walks are currently one of the most accessible activities and our local ‘Wellbeing Walks’ are proving extremely popular.
Many people are spending longer in nature, and connecting with others while doing so, than ever before.
lockdown lit
During lockdown, as well as daily walking, I’ve also been enjoying discovering and re-discovering some of my favourite nature writers.
A pal and ‘Green Wellbeing Alliance’ colleague of mine, Rowena, has been running a ‘Women in Nature Book Group’ and, in the absence of our normal holiday options, many of us are practising mental escapism by reading of far-flung places.
In that spirit, I have assembled a list of some of my favourite nature books. All non-fiction, most UK-based. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
'The Peregrine' by J.A. Baker
'Coastlines' by Patrick Barkham
'The Road to Little Dribbling' by Bill Bryson
'Waterlog' by Roger Deakin
‘Wildwood’ by Roger Deakin
‘Wild’ by Jay Griffiths
‘The Walker’s Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs’ by Tristan Gooley
‘The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs’ by Tristan Gooley
‘The Natural Navigator’ by Tristan Gooley
'Field Work' by Seamus Heaney
'Foxes Unearthed' by Lucy Jones
‘Losing Eden’ by Lucy Jones
'Utopian Dreams' by Tobias Jones
'To the River' by Olivia Laing
'The Girl Outdoors' by Sian Anna Lewis
'The Outrun' by Amy Liptrot
'Nature Cure' by Richard Mabey
'H is for Hawk' by Helen Macdonald
‘Landmarks’ by Robert Macfarlane
'The Wild Places' by Robert Macfarlane
'The Old Ways' by Robert Macfarlane
'The Moth Snowstorm' by Michael McCarthy
'Feral' by George Monbiot
'Spanish Steps; Travels with my Donkey' by Tim Moore
'Dip' by Andrew Fusek Peters
‘Wanderland’ by Jini Reddy
'Skirrid Hill' by Owen Sheers
'The Living Mountain' by Nan Shepherd
‘A Field Guide to Getting Lost’ by Rebecca Solnit
‘Wanderlust’ by Rebecca Solnit
'The Marches' by Rory Stewart
‘The Places In Between’ by Rory Stewart
'Wild' by Cheryl Strayed
'Walden' by Henry David Thoreau
‘Wilding’ by Isabella Tree
‘The Nature Fix’ by Florence Williams
'The Salt Path' by Raynor Winn
'Lyrical Ballads' by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Let me know in the comments below which you have read and enjoyed, and do please recommend more!