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'Hiking helps me connect - it's free therapy'

Hannah Morley/Geeta Ludhra Two selfies side by side of Hannah Morley and Geeta Ludhra. They are both smiling widely at the camera. Hannah is standing high on a hill with a large lake behind her. She wears a grey baseball cap, navy top and a rucksack. Geeta has a brown warm mackintosh with the hood up and behind her is a field with sheep, and hill in the distance.Hannah Morley/Geeta Ludhra
Hannah and Geeta want to encourage more people to try getting out for a country walk

Getting out for a winter walk is a tradition for many during the Christmas and new year holidays. Hannah Morley and Dr Geeta Ludhra also agree it is great for improving mental health, as well as providing what they describe as a spiritual connection. Hannah, 28, joined a young ramblers group in Hertfordshire, while Geeta started running free guided walks in the Chilterns.

When Hannah moved from Kent to Hitchin she struggled with loneliness, but joining the Stag Walkers group provided her with a new community.

"It can be daunting going for walks with people you don't know – but it allows you to have conversations you might not normally have.

"The ramblers is a safe place. All those worries in my head faded once I got to know the leaders and organiser.

"You meet such amazing friends and make great memories."

Hannah Morley Hannah taking a selfie along with two male friends on a walk through woodland - the angle is slightly sideways. She wears a grey hoodie and has her hair in a ponytail. One man wears glasses and has a black coat with a hiking rucksack, and the other has a red coat and baseball cap, and a grey beard. Hannah Morley
Hannah says being in a walking club "helps to increase your social network"

As well as relating to others, Hannah says "walking is where I feel the most connected to myself, when I feel like I've lost myself".

"If things are getting heavy, there are thoughts bogging me down, endless to-do lists... I find as soon as I put my hiking boots on and go to Oughtonhead Common (near Hitchin), I just have that sense of peace. I'm still in my mind, my soul is restored, I feel liberated.

"It's like the switch is off. I feel like all those worries I had before were such a huge waste of time."

"I love the fact you have the English longhorn cattle grazing, the kites and buzzards, a nice little pond to dip your feet in."

She also recommends the 10-mile route from Hitchin to Whitwell, "which offers stunning scenic views" and "insightful history".

"The route passes a Roman bathhouse, Motte & Bailey castle, ruins of a medieval chapel and the childhood home of the Queen Mother," she said.

Hannah Morley The Stag Walkers posing for a photo on a hill, with mountains in the background. There are nine people with their hands raised in the air, smiling. Two kneel at the front. There are some trees in the valley and a few scattered houses.Hannah Morley
Hannah has also been on walks to the Lake District with her ramblers' club

Hannah is autistic and says getting out into nature can counteract difficulties with overstimulation.

"Finding some practise to unwind and decompress is really beneficial. For some people it might be gaming or writing or painting – for me it's walking.

"It's a sensory experience when my feet are in the soil. When I'm in nature I find my ground, and I am at my calmest."

Hannah believes "there's a spiritual strength in nature too, it can heal you."

"If you're looking for free therapy, go to your local countryside path, look at what your local reserve has to offer.

"Just being there for half an hour you'll see how beneficial it is. You'll be surprised."

'A sense of joy'

Geeta Ludhra Geeta pictured on a gentle hill with green grass and then a field of taller grasses or crops. Rays of sun shine over the scene. She wears large brown sunglasses, a brown baseball cap, a black T-shirt and beige rucksack strap. Her hair is shoulder length and reddish/brown.Geeta Ludhra
Geeta says as a child, her family did not often go out into the countryside

Geeta is a grandmother and discovered a love of hiking after moving to the Chilterns - a hilly landscape that stretches over Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

"With mental health and stress, I don't think you can beat something as simple as walking."

Geeta has also found "a really deep spiritual connection, that's become increasingly important as I've got older".

"I've gone back to my faith as a Hindu: Nature is a very important part to Hindu stories.

"One of the things is looking at mandalas and repeating patterns, leaves and fractals.

"First you look at the big picture, and as you become more confident in your observation skills, you hone it down."

Geeta Ludhra Geeta pictured with three other femal walkers, standing either side of a footpath sign saying "Ridgeway" on the top two arrows (pointing left and right). Other arrows below are concealed. There is a thick hedgerow of brambles and trees behind them. They wear autumn/winter coats and all smiling at the camera. One woman is older, about 60 plus, while the others appear to be in their 30s-50s.Geeta Ludhra
The Ridgeway in the Chilterns is one of Geeta's favourite routes

Geeta now runs Dadima's - a free monthly "intergenerational walking community" that attracts up to 35 people.

"I started running free guided walks a few years ago – just me and a few friends at first," she explained.

"I'm of South Asian heritage, and I knew from research that accessing the countryside was harder for people of colour.

"Once people experience joy, a sense of safety, they feel 'I can do this, I might come again and try it with a friend or my kids'. Sometimes it's just that confidence to navigate the space."

Supplied Geeta standing next to a National Trust sign with its logo and the words "Coombe Hill". It is in woodland and she is holding onto the right side of the sign. She wears blue jeans, a bright green jumper, a sage gren jacket and a turquoise patterned headband. There is a dirt track behind her.Supplied
Geeta is a trustee at Chilterns National Landscape and supports many other nature-based projects

Geeta began walking partly for health reasons.

"I had bone ache from osteoporosis, from menopause. I didn't like gyms and the sound of machines, so doing this and getting fresh air was a better solution.

"I thought 'this is free', although there is a time cost – and for some people such as parents with kids, time is precious."

She enjoys walking the Ridgeway route, that begins in Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire.

"What's really nice about going with others, is you get to talk in a beautiful site with different seasons.

"Community walks aren't for everyone: some people prefer a time of solitude. But others wouldn't know where to go, and a friendly group can help."

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