LETTERS
Share your views, your experiences and your favourite photos tgo.ed@kelsey.co.uk
Postal address The Editor, The Great Outdoors, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL. Please include a phone number and postal address.
Mother Nature
It’s our privilege to share some thoughts from a regular reader of The Great Outdoors about his son Sam, and how the outdoors is helping them both heal from life-changing loss
Just over a month ago my son Sam had his world turned upside down when he unexpectedly lost his mum to cancer: a traumatic experience that left him facing immense challenges. Recognising the potential effect this could have on Sam’s mental health, I turned to nature. I have always been a huge advocate of the outdoors and its benefits for our wellbeing. So, I made it my priority to get Sam out hiking with me in the Peak District as often as possible. In the last month, he has almost been blown away by winds on the Great Ridge and sunk up to his waist in bogs on Bleaklow. He has also witnessed incredible sunsets and some of the most dramatic scenery the Peak District has to offer. The outdoors, with the powerful impact it has on emotional and mental wellbeing, has played a crucial part in helping Sam through these difficult times. He still has a way to go – but I know the calming and restorative effects that nature offers will continue to support him as he navigates whatever lies ahead.
Sunrise season
Many of us revel in sharing photographs of cherished moments in the hills. Here, one reader extends the care to us with this shot of sunrise over Ben A’an, and some thoughts on beauty
My alarm was set for 3am and, armed with a flask of tea and a hot breakfast, I set off at 3.30am. The walk up is easy and takes just 45 minutes from the car park to the top. I shared the summit with one other lady – I was grateful that her noisy drone wasn’t working – and I was soon left blissfully alone for 90 minutes to keep a watchful eye on the sun and everything its golden light touched.
A friend once said to me “sunrise is everything”, and I truly believe it represents a renewed chance to live, to change and to thrive. I also follow Cheryl Strayed’s mantra to ‘put yourself in the way of beauty’. Whilst particularly relevant to witnessing the beauty of sunrises and sunsets, I find it can also be applied to much in life.
