As the days start to get a little less bleak and the sunsets are beginning to appear, Antonia LeVay ponders the restorative benefits of wild walking, the beauty around us and the joy of hwyl.
When each year gets underway and dreary January slips away to be replaced by a hopeful February, for me the need to be immersed in nature becomes overwhelming. After spending the winter months wrapped up, dodging the rain and dashing from one grey day to the next and generally bemoaning the lack of sunlight, bleak mornings and feeling rubbish, a slither of sunshine is a joyous sight.
We all know, from oodles of proven research, that the great outdoors is good for us in a multitude of ways, from increasing our serotonin levels to relieving anxiety. The more connection we have to nature, the more we naturally feel connected. Our stress levels drop and we feel calmer.
The recent campaign launched by Visit Wales is probably the best one they’ve done yet. It’s a riposte of sorts to the Danish concept of hygge – which you may remember having ‘a moment’ about a decade ago – with hwyl: a Welsh term which, like hygge, has no English translation but describes a deep state of joy that comes from being totally immersed in the moment. A feeling that deeply resonates with me when I’m walking in the wilds of Wales.
YUGEN: A profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe that triggers a deep emotional response.
This state of ‘oneness’ and wellbeing, when engaging with nature, should not be underestimated. For most of us, our modern-day lives are spent using or interacting with some form of electrical device – be it phones, computers, cars, machinery or just fighting with she who shall not be named. OK, Alexa. Or those ridiculously annoying HIVE heating contraptions. How did we ever manage before? Our departure from nature has a massive detrimental effect on our health, and we forget what truly makes us thrive as humans.
By chance we (and our two dogs, a daft whippet and Heinz variety mixture) found ourselves in Nantymoel, the other side of Bridgend. Not a place I would normally head to, but, as friends were moving there, we took a daytrip. The result: eye-opening, vast mountainous glory. The valley and surrounding area are simply stunning; the multitude of walks and hikes around are breathtaking.
The day we went the clouds were low and as thick as Dai’s thighs, but after an hour’s walk to the top of the Bwlch mountain itself, the sky was a glorious blue, the sun was shining – and the dogs were practically doing cartwheels of joy. They absolutely loved it. The streams and woods surrounding the Bwlch are perfect, the silence is all consuming; it’s a place of beauty and solitude.
We are so lucky to have such areas of such natural beauty to visit and explore within a relatively short travel time. It’s places like these, which thankfully we have many in Wales, that we must embrace in our lives to offset the day-to-day living – not just to remind ourselves of the benefits of taking time out in nature, but more importantly to give us a well-needed break and a natural endorphin shot. Go and explore, and switch off the noise.
words ANTONIA LEVAY
