Sounds and smells of nature across the Highlands can lift the spirit
Heading into summer, it’s the perfect time of year to see nature at its best, and we’ve been lucky in the Highlands recently with the long spell of dry and sunny weather – even if it wasn’t always the warmest.
The cool northerly winds definitely took the edge off the heat, but the spring flowers seem to have been having a bumper year, in my experience.
I’ve always had a keen interest in the natural environment, and I think it’s good to slow down and notice some of the smaller things even in the biggest and most dramatic landscapes.
While the showers are hammering at the window today, it seemed like a good time to look back at some of the sights and sounds from a few recent outings.
Sometimes day-to-day life, work commitments and family mean that big trips are few and far between. While I’ve been lucky to have a few good days in the Cairngorms recently, including supervising a Duke of Edinburgh expedition in Glen Feshie over two glorious days, it’s worth keeping an eye out closer to home.
Some of the photographs featured with this article, for example, were taken within walking distance of homes and workplaces in Inverness – and there will be examples like this in villages and rural areas across the north.
To me, it’s a real benefit to see the natural world open up as spring leaps into summer, with the gorse blossoming into swathes of yellow across entire hillsides, while the bluebells are always a big attraction.
Our regular JogScotland running group always aims for a hidden glade where the bluebells thrive at this time of year, although on our recent runs we’ve spotted them everywhere from the edge of the Caledonian Canal in Inverness to forest trails and parks.
It was Mental Health Awareness Week earlier this month and getting active and among nature is a sure way to help get some perspective and reduce anxiety.
While it won’t solve everybody’s mental health issues overnight, the Rethink Mental Illness website states: “Even a short amount of exercise has been shown to enhance wellbeing and can help you feel good about yourself. Regular exercise can improve your quality of life.”
That’s why I think it’s important to stress that getting active outdoors doesn’t mean always going on big hikes in the hills or running marathons. I sometimes enjoy a nice stroll in the local woods, where we can look out for different flowers and plants, as well as listen to the birdsong.
With apps such as Merlin – that records bird sounds and identifies them – and Seek – where you can take photos of plants and animals which it tries to recognise – it is much easier to know what you are looking at or listening to these days, as well.
I always enjoy the call of the cuckoo, and during that trip to Glen Feshie we watched as two ospreys flew overhead, as well as listening to willow warblers, chaffinches, robins and more.
We regularly see the robins, blue tits, blackbirds and even mistle thrushes in the garden at home as they zip from the hedge to the feeders and back. Even the fluffy fledglings have been out in the last few weeks.
I wrote during the Covid lockdown of 2020 about the nature closer to home, and it is still true today. Those walks we all used to go on every day to escape the confines of our homes, especially when we were restricted to no travel beyond five miles, were a real lifeline for people, and witnessing nature on our doorstep is still a wonderful thing.
So, even if the weather isn’t quite as perfect as it has been, I’d recommend getting outside and seeing what you can spot while the wildflowers are still shining brightly, and the birds are singing. It might just help lift your soul.
• Next week John Davidson looks at the impact of school residential trips to the wild parts of the Highlands.
