A few weeks ago we took a leaf out of Stoke Lodge’s book – or to be
more precise we took a look at their Wildlife Break page, liked what we
saw and became inspired by some of the great ideas on it.
We certainly were as ‘Device Driven and Digitally Distracted’ and
‘Trapped on the Technology Treadmill’ as they’d suggested, so we did as
we were told and got away from our electronics addiction - leaving
mobile phones unanswered, laptops closed, kindles off, TV and radio
ignored and e mails unchecked while we took off for a few days’ escape
to recharge our own batteries…
Well, that’s not strictly true - we did have to employ our undeniably techie SATNAV to get us where we wanted to go (although it didn’t always work properly, so at times we even had to resort to a map – ye gods!) – but once in beautiful Southern Ireland we decided to practice what those wise people at Stoke Lodge had preached and really try to see if there was anything in this ‘reconnecting with nature’ lark.
I’m delighted to report that it really does work – yes, honestly!
After just a couple of days of strolling along leafy lanes listening to birdsong or exploring secluded beaches with just the sound of gulls and the waves on the shore, we noticed the change.
We found that our shoulders had somehow magically unscrunched themselves, our minds had become calmer and clearer, the brows were less furrowed and more importantly the issues that had been concerning us at home did not feel so much like unsolvable problems any more.
Our last day in particular sticks in my mind as it was then that I had a bit of a Eureka moment...
We were walking along the banks of a sunny river, admiring the fantastic scenery, soaking up the blissful quiet, and enjoying the birdlife.
I do admit that we had our mobile phones with us – sound off, naturally... - but only so we could take photos, and we’d been counting how many different birds we had spotted along the way with the help of our trusty bird book (incidentally the best one we’ve ever used; see below - goes with us wherever we walk now).
I think we’d spotted fourteen different birds that day, some of which we didn’t recognise, and in fact had managed to clock up eighteen on a previous beach walk – such a treat.
Anyway, there we were - drinking in the peace, starting to feel sad,
and trying not to think about about having to leave it all behind to
return to our own particular rat race.
To be honest, I’d already started to feel queasy just at the thought of all the e mails I knew would be awaiting me and was beginning to dread going home – you know, that End-Of-Holiday Feeling.
Then it suddenly struck me: we didn’t need to travel so many miles to get the nature-hit we’d so obviously needed - when we have it all on our doorstep!
Living as we do in the beautiful South Hams right by the
South West Coast Path, we have birds and wildlife and beaches and the sea and
rivers and woods and moors and rolling hills galore – all we have to do
is get out there and enjoy it as often as we can as the perfect antidote
to – well, almost anything actually!
Since we’ve been back, we too really have been practicing what we preach...
Just a two hour walk last weekend along the nearby
SWCP from
Dartmouth Castle
to the headland and back turned out to be just what we needed to
eliminate e mail stress and switch off – just so relaxing to stroll
along on the quiet sunny paths overlooking the coast and through shaded
woodlands.
Then it got a bit exciting as to our utter surprise and delight we spotted a red squirrel.
We’ve checked with the
Devon Wildlife Trust; red squirrels are not known to live in Devon, but this could have been an escapee from the Escot Estate – so how lucky were we?
I feel that I ought to mention though that Reconnecting With Nature should come with a health warning:
Yes, it’s official – it’s addictive! You should try it sometime...
You know you need it - and we think you’ll love it!
Written by Guest Blogger ValLovesToBlog
Helpful links:
Stoke Lodge Wildlife Breaks:
http://www.stokelodge.co.uk/wildlife.cfm
BBC Nature - Springwatch 'Do Something Great':
http://goo.gl/WMcyeK
Dartmouth Castle:
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dartmouth-castle/
South West Coast Path:
https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/
The Devon Wildlife Trust:
http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/
Escot Estate:
http://escot.wildwoodtrust.org/A-Day-at-Escot/
‘The Birdwatcher’s Pocket Guide to Britain and Europe’ by Peter Hayman and Rob Hume:
https://goo.gl/MkYTYS
