Today, I’m going to be a bit more practical. I know, for some, the biggest barrier to what I’m asking people to do, is the being in nature bit, actually being in the great outdoors.
Take a moment to look at the photo above. How does it make you feel? What thoughts arise? If you think, that looks great, where is it? I want to be there, great! But, if you’re thinking, oh, that looks really wild, how did she get there? Where do you walk? Where am I allowed to walk? Is there something there that might hurt me? Well, that’s ok and it’s why I’m writing this and one of the foundations of what I’m trying to do.
I know my childhood was lucky, although I grew up in London, I lived in the greenest of the London Boroughs where I climbed trees and dammed streams. I also spent most of my holidays running around beaches, mountains, and woods. I know many people don’t have that, I used to work with children on a council estate that backed onto the countryside, yet they never went there or to sea only a couple of miles away. I know childhood friends who never left London and simply couldn’t comprehend me becoming an outdoor instructor.
So, I’m treading carefully here, because I know I am privileged, and I don’t want to come across as being condescending or preachy. I don't want to tread on people’s fears.
From what I’ve seen, it seems there are two main aspects to concerns about being in the outdoors, firstly worries that there might be things that can hurt us or even make us ill, and secondly worries that they might damage something or do something ‘wrong’, that they aren’t allowed or supposed to be there. There are issues around classism and racism that come into this but are too big an issue for today’s letter, I’m not qualified to speak for people who deal with these issues.
Not understanding what to do in the great outdoors is one of the biggest barriers to being outside (alongside being able to get there, and having appropriate clothing). I think, at a simple level, both these arise from a long history of detachment from nature. Research shows that the UK ranks bottom of European nations for nature connectedness. Since humans moved away from working and living on the land we’ve been trying to fool ourselves that we are not nature, that we are somehow separate, or worse, above it. With that has developed the notion that we can use it for purely our own purpose, control and manipulate it, neglecting to notice how we are destroying the intricate web of the natural world. Trying to live detached from nature has a detrimental effect on our health, not only our well-being but our physical health.
We need to find that balance again, find a connection to nature, be responsible for our time in nature, and allow it to support us. I know that for people to be able to go into the countryside, to sketch and be creative as I am encouraging, they have to be comfortable in it and understand it, otherwise, it’s not going to be a relaxing beneficial experience.
Right and Responsibilities
What you may not understand, is that in England particularly, our detachment from nature can also stem from a long power struggle for land ownership and legal access. Unlike other countries, including Scandinavian countries and Scotland, in England, most of the countryside is out of bounds, behind high walls, barbed wire fences, and centuries of laws removing access to the land. Again, this is something I will talk about further at another time, but I’m learning more about the Right to Roam/land justice movement and how much this has to do with reconnecting people to the land. There are now more and more people standing up for their right to be in the countryside and connect with nature.
As one of the Right to Roam team said at an event last week, with that right (to be in the countryside/nature), comes responsibility. One of the reasons thrown about for not granting more access is that “we” don’t know how to treat it properly, that we throw litter and destroy habitats. Unfortunately, there will always be a few bad apples but the majority of people do not litter and do not want to harm or damage, they just don’t know what to do. So one of the aims of the Right to Roam movement is to help people understand the responsibilities that come with being in nature, this then also helps people feel confident about being outside. It’s my responsibility as a creative nature facilitator (oo have I created myself a fancy title!?) to enable people to be responsible, for themselves and for the great outdoors. Do have a look at the Right To Roam website to find out more about their campaign this year.
So, how to be outside…
We are brought up to understand many rules about the world we live in; the green cross code, queuing, and to say please and thank you. As we get older, we learn the highway code for using roads, and how to pay in shops. We don’t necessarily learn how to follow a footpath, how to read maps, what plants might hurt us, and why we should keep dogs under control. I’m not going to get into who should teach these things, as a teacher I did my best, but if my pupils don’t have direct experience of the countryside, it isn’t going to mean much coming from me in a classroom.
But there are rules and simple guides that can help unlock the countryside. The countryside code is a good place to start, though it’s not very well promoted. A simple mantra often repeated is “Leave no trace”, or “Take only photos, leave only footprints”. In practice this is a good foundation, that we should leave the countryside as we found it, not breaking, trampling, or removing anything and not leaving anything there. An update of this is “Leave positive trace” where we are encouraged to leave the places we visit in a better state than it was - by doing a litter pick for example.
This is the full countryside code, on a very boring dry government website (click here). Do have a look through as it does give lots of information, though I still think it has limitations, as it’s not particularly user friendly (aka boring). Its shortened version, which is often displayed as a poster, only contains the headlines - which give next to no detail. The government really needs to hire a marketing and communications person! It also makes a lot of assumptions that people know about footpaths and bridleways, maps and signposts. It doesn’t tackle any concerns people might have about the wildlife and plants they might come across.
There are lots of blogs which look at the countryside code further, such as Waypoint 51 and Along dusty roads (I hesitated in using this one as at times I think the tone is disrespectful about some people which only creates further divisions). Organisations such as the National Trust and the National Parks also have their own information. Here is some dog specific information as this is one of the biggest grips people have about other people in the countryside and can cause farmers major issues.
So onto people’s concerns and worries.
All of these bullet points could be entire posts themselves, they all could do with further detail and clarification but I simple don't have the space in this letter. I will do more on all of these things and more as this project develops.
You are allowed into the countryside, whatever your age, skin colour, job, or heritage. (See my point in the opening paragraph, I know for many it isn’t as simple as this, but I just wanted to say it.) If you’re worried about going out because of these issues, maybe look up some walking, or nature groups in your area. There are some really interesting people on social media breaking barriers about who traditionally goes into the outdoors.
There is very little in this country that can harm you. As long as you respect animals by giving them space and keeping dogs on leads, they will very very rarely do anything. They do not want to hurt you, cows in particular are just curious. This refers to cattle, horses, adders, bees, and wasps. Try to be calm as they can react to how you are behaving.
While there are plants that can sting or cause reactions, again, very few cause much damage. Wear long trousers if you’re worried, don’t eat anything you aren’t absolutely 100% sure about, and wash your hands if you do touch anything. I carry antihistamine cream everywhere, but mostly because little bitey things love me!
Leave only footsteps. In practice, as well as not leaving little, this also means not removing anything. Now, this is tricky, I myself come back from walks with pockets full of acorns, interesting stones, and occasionally a flower. So, more specifically, don’t pick anything that is still alive, unless it is extremely common (such as daisies). Many native plants only get one chance at flowering which leads to the next generation. If you pick that flower, that’s it, no more flowers. If you take all the blackberries off a bush for a crumble, there will be none to turn into more brambles and none for the birds, so just take a few and move on.
Try to learn how to read a map, preferably Ordnance Survey maps that have footpaths and features on them. Just knowing what the green dashed lines mean (the footpaths) is a start, then you can also learn to look for the wooden footpath signs in real life. Google Maps is great for navigating the human world, but not the natural one. The other problem with maps on mobiles is when the batteries run out. So unless you know the area you are in really well, take a paper map. Learning what features mean on a map, means you are less likely to get stuck not being able to cross a river, or next to a cliff.
You don’t need to get all the latest kit from an expensive outdoor shop to get outside. But, what you wear and take with you can be the difference between a good day out and tantrums. Footwear that has good grip and is waterproof means less time worrying about slipping over and dry socks. Wellies are good, but often aren’t that comfortable walking longer distances. Waterproof and warm coats are also really good. We never know when it’s going to rain in this country and getting wet causes those tantrums. Likewise, you can get cold, even on a summer’s day, so an extra layer is a good idea. In practice, jeans aren’t great to wear, they are heavy and uncomfortable when they get wet. I’ve found that second-hand places like Vinted now have outdoor kit, much cheaper than buying new. Carrying a drink is always good, I think tea is essential for any outing, as are snacks. Oh, and don’t forget your sketchbook! I also carry a little mat to sit on, but a plastic bag can work just as well. Just remember to take it all home.
Getting to the countryside can be dificult. Some areas have better public transport, and these often just go to known places. Car parks are also rare unless it’s a popular area so be considerate when looking for a place to park, think about access for tractors and whether you are going to be able to get the car off the grass. If there is a car park, please use it. Yes, you may have to pay, but these fees contribute to upkeep.
So, as a start, maybe visit a park nearby with some wilder areas. Or maybe there are nature reserves near you. Yes, there are honeypot areas that become famous for their view and these can be one way people start to do more in the outdoors, but there are plenty of quieter spots that are just as beautiful, the internet is a wonderful place, you might just have to dig a bit deeper to find out. Or, once you’ve got more confident, go exploring. During the first lockdown, we discovered some beautiful places accessible from my house, we’d never visited them before, always going further away but we were missing out and have continued to visit them.
I’m going to stop here, this has become a lot longer than I thought and my head hurts! The more I’ve written, the more I’ve thought I should include. I’m aware there are probably concerns I haven’t considered. Please leave a comment if there is anything you’d like me to talk about in the future.