WALK & TALK

A new wave of outdoor therapy services are transforming how we look after, and discuss, our mental health. Joe Minihane heads to the Peak District to find out more

-  Joe Minihane

It’s a glorious spring morning in Dovedale. Lambs play in the fields, while buzzards circle the thermals overhead. Standing in a circle, we take in the scene before falling silent, as ‘wellbeing lead’ Mike Tosh begins.

“I want you to pick something up close by,” he says. “A stick, a leaf, whatever you choose. And when you’ve done that, close your eyes. Listen to the sounds around us and then switch your attention to what you are holding. Feel every nook and cranny. Give it your exquisite focus.”

Outdoor therapy

I’m here in this picturesque corner of the Peak District with Mind Over Mountains, a pioneering charity which runs day walks and retreats in outdoor spaces across the UK, designed to help anyone struggling with their mental health. Blending mindfulness exercises with time spent wandering the hills, they offer participants the opportunity to share their problems, to listen to others and, hopefully, leave feeling a little lighter and more connected with the world and those around them.

Each weekend retreat is run by two wellbeing leads, who look after the mental health side of things, with a pair of fully trained Mountain Leaders on hand to plot routes and ensure the safety of the group.

I take everything in: blackbirds and wrens singing as if their lives depend on it, the grating caw of jackdaws, the sounds of lambs close by. Then I feel the stick in my hand: the moss which covers it, the sharp ends where it has come away from its tree. My mind feels clear and sharp as I open my eyes and get set for the day ahead.