There are many things that are considered good for managing stress and improving your wellbeing, however one of the the most basic pleasures in life is often overlooked.

I’ve put on a bit of a podge recently as work and home life have demanded that I sit here (or at work) and type a great deal, and in an effort to control and reduce this podge I have started exercising more.

I thought about joining a gym and going back to weight training, using exercise machines, dieting even crossed my mind briefly, however I’ve settled on one of natures best form of exercise… just having a nice walk around a country park.

So on saturday I put on my trainers, jeans and a fleecy jacket, grabbed a bottle of tap water and headed off to Chatelherault which is a country park in Ferniegair near Hamilton, quite close to where I live.

For a couple of hours I walked through avenues of towering pine, beech and birch trees which creaked very quietly as they swayed in the gentle breeze. The noise of the nearby motorway quickly dissapeared, to be replaced with birdsong and the sound of water crashing down distant waterfalls, gurgling and splashing as the river swirled around any obstacles in its course.

I walked along on pathways littered with leaves and fallen pine needles and added to the rustling of my own footsteps were those of squirrels darting here and there and scampering up trees to feast on hawthorn berries, which made a little crackling sound as the squirrels nibbled them. The air was refreshing and smelled of pine needles and damp wood and sunlight broke through the canopy of trees fireing shafts of brightness and colourful contrasts of red, green and orange wherever they touched.

I walked for hours, not power walking as those on a keep fit quest so often do, but strolling, and enjoying every moment of quiiet relaxation.

Such a place as this affects everyone who goes there and I met a few people walking dogs, or like me just enjoying a walk, but unlike when we meet strangers on the street where we avoid each other’s gaze or hurry along without aknowledgement, here in the relaxation of nature we say hello to strangers and stop to exchange pleasantries.

As the shafts of sunlight became longer and more horizontal I found myself completing the loop of pathways and walking back to the car park, thoughroughly exhausted, completely relaxed and refreshed in mind and body.

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