Our mental health awareness campaign shines a spotlight on the life-changing benefits of spending time in the great outdoors. This month we meet Stephen Passmore, a passionate walker and artist, whose collection of watercolours tell a fascinating story of life on Scotland’s Cape Wrath Trail.
KNOCKDAMPH BOTHY LIFE
Day 22: “After a wonderful night sharing chocolate, whisky and good stories at the Knockdamph bothy we all naturally gathered outside in the morning sun, pausing with a brew before heading in our different directions on our adventures.”
Earlier this year I took a career break to overcome mental stress and burnout. I live in London and am a ranger for the London National Park City, working in a field that aims to make the places we live in greener, healthier, more sustainable and resilient to climate change.
As part of my career break I challenged myself by hiking the Cape Wrath Trail, which is considered the toughest long-distance walk in the UK and runs 370km from Fort William to Cape Wrath, the north-westernmost tip of mainland Scotland. I also chose to paint a painting a day while on the trail to record my adventures. In total it took 31 days to complete, and I met wonderful people along the way.
I’m a budding artist, but very definitely learning all the time. All the paintings were done in watercolour, are A5 in size, and each has a story with it. Those stories combine creativity, mental health, amazing mountain environments, camaraderie, exhaustion, elation, spaciousness, and a great way of being in, and appreciating, the places we travel thro
