Why I love getting out whatever the weather & how you can learn to LOVE it too!
I have spoken to a few people recently who have independently declared themselves lovers of the great outdoors (AS LONG AS the weather is fair!). They confess to finding it a struggle and much less enjoyable to be outside in the wind, rain and cold typical of our winter season.
And this makes me very sad, because they have NO IDEA what they are missing out on!
We spend too much time indoors in our modern lives as it is, to the detriment of our physical and mental health, and to relegate ourselves to a total indoor species for a quarter of the year just adds to the problem!
Why I LOVE winter
Personally, I adore a bit of winter. It’s a multi-sensory experience.
It’s a perfect season for noticing and gathering in ‘glimmers’ (those little moments of joy that lift up our soul – checkout my recent blog on this topic to find out more), which for me include:
The softer light, the glorious blue skies, the be-jewelled frosty topping on the the grass and the dried leaves of the cold crisper days make for beautiful back-drops and vistas.
The ‘pops’ of colour from the lingering berries, the leaves turning riotous and glorious shades of red, orange and yellow, and the fluffy hedgerows awash with the feathery seeds if Wild Clematis (also known as Traveller’s Joy, or Old Man’s Beard) are an utter delight, in contrast to the rather more frequent brown and grey tones of winter. And at this time of year, the sumptuous bright green of the mosses really stands out and comes into its’ own.
The air feels fresher, and the rain, especially after the long hot summer days, can feel cooling, and calming as I have been reminded over the past couple of days when I have been out walking in the wet.
There is enormous wonder in a single raindrop hanging on a leaf (and it’s fuel for life on our beautiful planet, and reflections in puddles.
And the SMELL!
There’s a name for that heart and soul lifting smell of ‘after the rain’ - it’s called Petrichor. And it mainly consists of a chemical called geosmin that is released from the earth by the falling rain, and the human nose is able to detect it in really tiny quantities – because it’s a smell that signifies life, water and food. And that’s why most of us feel something soul nourishing stirring within us when we smell it.
But if we never go out in the rain – how will we ever get to experience it?
AND – there is something super COSY about coming back inside for a blanket snuggle in front of the fire with a hot drink, that you just can’t experience if you never go outside in the Winter months.
PLUS – whether we like it or not, our innate need for natural light and connection with nature to feed our hearts, minds and bodies doesn’t stop just because the weather outside appears ‘frightful’ rather than delightful!
We still need our daily dose of morning light to help set our circadian rhythms for sleep.
We still need to try and add to our Vitamin D stocks (though we may need to take supplements to compensate for relative lack of daylight and sunshine).
Getting out to experience some proper COLD air can have similar benefits to our nervous system as cold-water immersion – so where it might get TOO cold to go for a dip in icy water, we can still get a sense of that adrenalin rush and post-rush calm by allowing the brisk winter winds and cold rain to lash out face!!
We still benefit from the phytoncides which are the chemicals (essential oils) released from the bark of the trees (and other plants) to protect themselves against bacterial, fungal, and insect attacks.
It so happens that we benefit from these phytoncides too.
As we breath them in, we absorb them into our bodies, and in turn they not only help to calm and sooth our nervous system, they boost our immune system!
Out need for this immune system boost doesn’t stop just because we’ve hit the winter season! In fact, what time of year do we need this MORE than in winter, to help stave off the effects of the myriad of cold, flu and covid viruses that start circulating as we spend more time indoors in closer proximity to other people for longer?
So getting out and about in winter is good for our health AND can be uplifting, refreshing and soul reviving, so is great for our mental health too.
Getting out and about in Winter
I believe, as others have said before me, there is no such thing as ‘bad’ weather, just the wrong clothes!
If you dress to stay dry and warm, even the seemingly worst of weather days can be a breath of fresh air (with the common-sense caveat that I would NOT advocate dragging yourself out into the tempests of severe winds or storms, and please listen to weather warnings from the Met Office. We want to get outside, but only if it’s safe!)
Get kitted up
Waterproof Coat (with a hood)
Waterproof Trousers (these are a REVELATION) and give you SO much more freedom! They mean you can splash through puddles, squelch through mud and SIT DOWN without worrying about getting your normal clothes wet or filthy or a wet and cold bum!
Wellies and/or waterproof walking boots – footwear that you don’t mind getting muddy or jumping in puddles with!
Warm socks
Layers - lots of layers!
A hat (unless you’ve got hair like mine) and/or ear-muffs (I cannot go out when the north wind is blowing without something covering my ears, or I get ear ache!)
Gloves
A flask of a warm cuppa
And…
Adjust your expectations
Whilst I heartily recommend getting out and about at all times of year, I DO believe that as we head into the Autumn/Winter months there is a benefit to adjusting your expectations, because the conditions are different and it can be physically more energy draining being outside when it’s cold and wet!
Pay attention to the conditions so you can dress yourself for success AND…
Don’t walk for as far, or for as long as you might on a fair-weather day.
Perhaps change your route to one that’s more winter-friendly (I know some of my favourite spring walk routes get depressingly muddy after a wet spell, and whilst I am not averse to mud (I am known as The Mud Lady in some circles!), even I find it a slog if my whole walk involves dragging my feet in and out of deep stickiness!
Really pay attention to your see – it’s remarkable how much green remains through winter, and how much colour. Rose-hips, Haw-berries, ivy and holly berries, all provide a welcome splash of colour. And as the winter progresses you will begin to see the shoots of new growth coming up through the ground, the first leaf buds and catkins on our trees and in our hedgerows.
Notice all the smells too – I’ve mentioned petrichor, but there’s also the smell of frost and snow, the smell of moss and leaf mulch on the woodland floor, the smell of mist over the meadows.
And listen - there are still enough birds and a few mammals around over the winter out and about searching for food (jackdaws, kingfishers, buzzards, kites, kestrels) and they can be easier to spot without the laden hedgerows and with fewer leaves on the trees. And listen to the sound of your feet on the ground, scrunching through the leaves, crunching on frost, splashing through puddles or squelching through mud!
Look out for the beauty of contrasts – the silhouette of trees and seed-heads against bright blue/dimpsy grey skies are somehow calming. Sudden dots and splashes of red and yellow amongst the winter pallet provide glimmers of joy.
Frosts also signal the time for gathering the Sloes for Sloe Gin making if you fancy (they are best picked after the first frost).
Creating Memories
Some of my most memorable walks are not those done at the height of summer, but are those where I have ‘battled’ the elements!
The sleety day in Scotland where the wind was so strong the sleet hurt my eyes (no kidding, the wind was blowing the sleet horizontal, and everytime I tried to open my eyes to see, it stung as the wind blew the icy rain straight into them. And we were wetter than I have ever been fully clothed, as we stumbled and dripped our way through the door of the warm soup serving café with a real fire roaring away – and that feeling of being ALIVE, and safe and cosy back inside, with nourishing food ready to be slurped, will never be forgotten!!
Which brings me to another great thing about getting out doors in winter…
Coming Back Inside
There is truly something special about coming back indoors after a particularly soggy or bone-chilling excursion (like my walk from Arisaig to Mallaig!) that feels wonderfully soothing and comforting.
And if the weather really is just too frightful to get outside, then the last of the winter wonders is ready and waiting for you…
Snuggle up and Croodle!
Part of the joy of winter is permission to NOT go out so often.
Because let’s be honest, many of us have a yearning to simply hunker down in front of a fire with a blanket, some flickering candle light, a warming drink and a juciy book/film/great company.
It’s a time of year when we get to slow down, to connect more with people we care about, to engage in some full-on indoor-y things, with full mindful appreciation.
It’s why it’s not just the Danes that ‘get’ the idea of Hygge.
In the words of that old-time crooner Dean Martin…
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
Man it doesn't show signs of stopping
And I brought me some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
Let it snow! Let it snow!
So for my part, I say let it snow/rain/blow a hooley/do its wintery thing - let’s embrace the winter months, whatever they throw at us, and get outside in a wintery way– it doesn’t have to be a season of gloom!
And relish too the time we are snug indoors, with intention.
I will love winter just the same, and I hope you can learn to too!
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