INTERVIEW
The TV presenter on barefoot walking, hill climbing with her parents and therapy sessions with a tree
1 Newsnight has called you an “outdoor evangelist”. Have you always felt the pull of the natural world?
I had a pretty idyllic upbringing. Weekends were spent in a gorgeous 400-year-old rectory in a village in Rutland. Weekdays were spent in Sheffield, where Dad had a job in the steel industry and Mum ran a boutique. Dad had grown up in the Peak District and, from the age of six, I would go hiking with him there. He often says he’d look up to find me scrambling up a mountain or trekking ahead, forging my own path.
2 So you were a bit of a wild child?
Dad says I’ve always been fiercely independent. But I enjoyed being at home, too. I loved pottering around the garden with Mum when I wasn’t climbing trees and scrumping apples.
3 You’ve traipsed all over the world, from Loch Lomond in Scotland to a cattle farm in Australia. Which part of the UK keeps calling you back?
The Lake District has been a very welcoming place for me ever since I filmed my first walking series there [Wainwright Walks in 2007], following in the footsteps of Alfred Wainwright. I still remember that breathtaking sunset on Scafell Pike, England’s tallest peak at 975 metres. The area easily holds its own on the world stage: the landscapes are stunning.
4 After recovering from breast cancer, you decided to do a big hill climb with your family in the Peak District. How did it go?
Brilliantly. Iam very proud! The twins [Xanthe and Zena] were seven, my son [Zephyr] was ten and my parents [Chrissi and Michael] were in their eighties. Mum hadn’t gone up Mam Tor, one of my favourite peaks, since her honeymoon, 50 years earlier. I wanted it to be a marker in the sand that I’d come this far and, from now on, I’d be looking forward rather than back.
5 You also made a vow after surgery to spend time outside every day. How do you fit this around parenting, TV work, podcasts and talks?
I make it non-negotiable. Even when I get home late and am on the road early, travelling all day to a location, I make sure I get outside. I was pushed for time this morning, but still managed ten minutes. I stood on the grass grounding [usually going barefoot to absorb negative ions, which are said to be beneficial for health], did some Qigong [exercises to optimise energy in the mind and body] and carried out breathing exercises, all while getting my fix of morning light – essential for regulating the body’s circadian rhythms. It was a quadruple whammy. I felt nourished. Peter Attia, a Canadian-American doctor I admire, has said it should be a legal requirement for everyone to spend an hour in nature every day. I completely concur.
6 The wintry weather never puts you off ?
Not in the le
