Outdoor and walking therapy and the like - a 21st century phenomena
The 'rural idyl', a 'pastoral' setting, 'rus in urbe', 'an escape to the countryside', 'village bliss'; illusional and nostalgic concepts maybe, and the ideas were hopelessly romanticised by artists during the 18th and 19th centuries, offering a modicom of hope to those in 'dark satanic mills', and yet it seems that in the 21st century, urban dwellers have never before met with a greater need to escape the pressures and stresses of city living, to wallow in that little parcel of "green and pleasant land", to cast aside the tumult of daily anxiety, if only for a while.
In reality of course the masses are 'permitted only' to view the great green expanse, look but don't touch, 'private', keep out, keep to the footpath, no right of way, 'beware of the bull' (there's still a sign to this effect near Bordesley Station, once a cattle station), and here I'm cynical, but thank god we have portions of life with 'time for leisure, in which to pursue blissful passtime contentment in 'God's Pasture', and wonderful OS maps so that we can avoid treacherous country lanes, "Whoa, slow down man!" - there I go again.
Anyway over 1.101million people live together in varying states of harmony and conflict in Birmingham's 267.8 K². There are many reasons for human clusterings on this scale, 'survival' being one, 'convenience' for sure. But as mental health concerns grow, along with a struggling NHS and dwindling local authority services, many people struggle for a daily dose of contentment, therapeutic passtime has never been more relevant. GP's are now, so I'm told, prescribing healthy outdoor pursuit in healthy green space. So how does this work?
'Vitamin N'
I think it was Richard Louve advocating the essence of a daily dose of 'Vitamin N' (N for nature) for mental well being, and other 'medicians' (not a word) have joined the chorus with advice to combat our mental ills, for we are all vulnerable to a lesser or greater extent.
It's quite easy for me to understand the therapeutic elements involved in exposure to pleasant green space, having spent a lifetime drawn to meadows, woodland, wetlands in time of stress. Realising at quite an early age that these were the places that brought relief from teenage anxieties and the bad effects of chemical substances. Others were not so fortunate and sought the light in mind altering narcotics, only to be drawn deeper into the darkness and demise.
Just one example of many positive experiences was an occassion in which I felt totally at one with natural surrounds, rabbits hopping nonchalantly around me as I lay prostrate in a field at Clent in the early hours around Summer 1976, unable to sleep because of a misuse of benzedrine. Feeling disgusted at not being in control with the euphoria long gone, what a mess. From then on I knew where the answers might be found.
Opportunities to escape-
The transport system is relatively accessible to all, making escape possible, bus, train or tram gets you out of the city at reasonable off-peak cost, and imagine how 19th Century city dwellers felt as the new railway system increased their potential to visit settings similar to that depicted above (top). The Forest of Arden, just up the Stratford Road.
And for those enjoying a good walk, there is much improved facility and information in modern cities, and the opportunities are many, short circuits or longer rambling sojourns are possible - "head thineself west and thee might not see another soul until reaching Aberystwyth".
The Rea Valley, from Highgate heading south to Waseley Hills Country Park in 3 walking hours, and if time permits onward through rural splender -
Joseph Chamberlain's Highbury -
"rus in urbe an illusion of countryside created by a building or garden within a city. The phrase, which is Latin and means literally 'country in the city', was coined originally by the Spanish-born Latin epigrammatist Martial (ad c.40 to c.104)."
And one doesn't have to wander great miles distant to enjoy the therapeutic nature of nature. Greenery is with us and sometimes on the doorstep or at least a short walk away.
'Get Walking Keep Walking' was a Natural England project to encourage walking and the development of creative urban walks, and from this project many volunteers were trained as walk leaders and they in turn encouraged family, friends and strangers to walk and to keep walking, and many are walking still, it's a big part of their lives. And yet there are 10's maybe 100's of thousands struggling to walk, some because of physical difficulty but many because they are mentally unconditioned.
In reality of course the masses are 'permitted only' to view the great green expanse, look but don't touch, 'private', keep out, keep to the footpath, no right of way, 'beware of the bull' (there's still a sign to this effect near Bordesley Station, once a cattle station), and here I'm cynical, but thank god we have portions of life with 'time for leisure, in which to pursue blissful passtime contentment in 'God's Pasture', and wonderful OS maps so that we can avoid treacherous country lanes, "Whoa, slow down man!" - there I go again.
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| An 1889 etching of the Forest of Arden, created by John Macpherson for a series by Frederick Gard Fleay (Wiki) |
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| 18th century Birmingham |
I think it was Richard Louve advocating the essence of a daily dose of 'Vitamin N' (N for nature) for mental well being, and other 'medicians' (not a word) have joined the chorus with advice to combat our mental ills, for we are all vulnerable to a lesser or greater extent.
It's quite easy for me to understand the therapeutic elements involved in exposure to pleasant green space, having spent a lifetime drawn to meadows, woodland, wetlands in time of stress. Realising at quite an early age that these were the places that brought relief from teenage anxieties and the bad effects of chemical substances. Others were not so fortunate and sought the light in mind altering narcotics, only to be drawn deeper into the darkness and demise.
The transport system is relatively accessible to all, making escape possible, bus, train or tram gets you out of the city at reasonable off-peak cost, and imagine how 19th Century city dwellers felt as the new railway system increased their potential to visit settings similar to that depicted above (top). The Forest of Arden, just up the Stratford Road.
 |
| 18th C. Romanticism |
The Rea Valley, from Highgate heading south to Waseley Hills Country Park in 3 walking hours, and if time permits onward through rural splender -
Joseph Chamberlain's Highbury -
"rus in urbe an illusion of countryside created by a building or garden within a city. The phrase, which is Latin and means literally 'country in the city', was coined originally by the Spanish-born Latin epigrammatist Martial (ad c.40 to c.104)."
And one doesn't have to wander great miles distant to enjoy the therapeutic nature of nature. Greenery is with us and sometimes on the doorstep or at least a short walk away.
'Get Walking Keep Walking' was a Natural England project to encourage walking and the development of creative urban walks, and from this project many volunteers were trained as walk leaders and they in turn encouraged family, friends and strangers to walk and to keep walking, and many are walking still, it's a big part of their lives. And yet there are 10's maybe 100's of thousands struggling to walk, some because of physical difficulty but many because they are mentally unconditioned.
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