The ability to walk out of the door and clear your mind while nature unfolds around you is something that’s grown in importance over the past two years. Nature nourishes us, and whether you walk in meadows or parks, or past thickets and thorns, nothing beats the joys of exploring on foot.
It’s a simple, universal pleasure that should be available to everyone, everywhere. But it’s not. Right now, there are millions of people whose health and wellbeing desperately needs a dose of nature – but it’s out of reach for them. The Ramblers wants to change that as soon as possible, based on its core belief that the benefits of walking belong to everyone, no matter where you live or your walk of life.
According to Rebecca Dawson, chair of the Ramblers, one of her key priorities for the charity in the coming years is to ensure the outdoors is a welcoming space for everyone – especially given the considerable toll the past couple of years has taken on everyone’s lives.
“I think one of the things that's been really clear during the pandemic is how important access to nature is for everyone,” she explains. “I certainly noticed a lot more people out walking locally, because we obviously had to remain local for quite some time.”
“Walking really does reduce stress levels when you’ve had to spend a lot of time indoors – just hearing the rustle of the leaves of the trees or birdsong, or getting fresh air in your lungs, can make a big difference.”
It didn’t take long for the pandemic to make Rebecca notice the difference in her local Ramblers walking group. “We've seen people joining us to walk who hadn't ever joined a walking group before but wanted to get out and walk with others,” she says.
“There were people who previously weren’t really that bothered about walking before, because they'd rather go to the gym or some other activity, but who turned to walking because it was what they could do. And we've certainly seen an increase in people recognising the benefits of walking since Covid, and becoming members as a result.”
In recent years, the Ramblers has taken bold steps to give more people access to the countryside than ever before. Some of its notable wins have included:
• Safeguarding 140,000 miles of paths and open land, ensuring more people can experience the joy of walking outdoors.
• Influencing the 2020 Agriculture Act so that farmers can receive financial support when they enhance public access.
• Discovering more than 49,000 miles of missing paths, and as a result creating the first ever map of lost paths, which the charity will be working to save over the coming years.
• Saving 16 level crossings from closure on key walking routes across Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, following a long-running legal challenge.
• Helping to save the internationally protected dunes at Coul Links in Sutherland, Scotland, from detrimental development.
• Helping waymark the 298-mile Cambrian Way route that crosses some of the remotest and most beautiful parts of Wales.
• Securing a commitment to more accessible, high-quality Rights of Way as part of the Healthy Weight Healthy Wales 2020 strategy for tackling obesity.
• Successfully campaigning to make sure we can all enjoy Britain’s entire coastline on foot.
The Ramblers is generously supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, as part of the lottery’s Climate Challenge initiative. People’s Postcode Lottery manages lotteries on behalf of 20 Postcode Trusts.
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