Beverley Powell is an accredited coach and an active member of the Mountains for the Mind community. Here she tells us about how walking in the hills solo has improved her overall health and wellbeing.
I’ve been going to the Lake District for 25 years on my own as a retreat.
Getting out into nature has been supremely beneficial for me in terms of my own overall health and wellbeing.
It has helped me gain clarity and focus, and maintain my strength and fitness outside of the traditional gym.
“The first time I walked in the hills was on a planned trip with friends from the gym. We were all based in Greater Manchester, so decided to head off to the Lake District. Afterwards, during periods of intense academic study and preparation for exams, I thought it would be lovely to take all my books and combine studying with getting up onto the hills.
“I found a single room in a Lake District B&B and for 10-15 years I would go up to Keswick at the same time of year. The B&B hosts would always be waiting for me with homemade biscuits and a pot of tea. It was a wonderful home from home. It was a way of switching up the environment to clear my head and be physically active. This strategy seemed to work, because I was successful in all the exams that I took!
“While travelling up to Keswick, I found that I was seeing lots of other lovely areas, so I started to explore further, visiting Ambleside and Windermere. They were a bit too touristy for me – I was really there for the hills and mountains – so I tried Grasmere, and have been going there for seven or eight years now. I have a big stack of maps, all the walking gear, and once I’ve had my breakfast I’m up on the hills for the best part of the day.
Strangely I always find my sleeping pattern improves drastically, with unbroken sleep – which is something that many women struggle with during their menopausal journey.
“There’s something healing about getting out into nature. I am the descendent of slaves. My ancestry is of 250 years of shackled slavery and no reparations. Through my racial trauma studies, I am aware that such traumas, if unhealed, can be passed down through generations, via mother and/or father genes. So what does it do to the body if you are unable to heal from past trauma? It can sit within the body and manifest into something potentially dangerous long-term and manifest in particular ailments. For many it can impact at a later age, in conditions like issues around inflammation. I am not a doctor, it is just my understanding through study and observations over the years.
“Trauma can be a buzzword used by many glibly. There is a real lack of understanding
