Winter walks: Mood-enhancing New Years nature walks to cheer you up

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27 December 2023 
By Alex James

If you’re looking to burn off a few festive calories, improve your mood and lift your spirits after the festive excess - getting wrapped up for a walk on a chilly winter's day is so satisfying and brilliant for our mental health. We've taken the opportunity to list a few of our favourite things to look out for when taking a chilly and breezy festive walk.

Whilst the trees may be bare, and everything feels a little like it’s on hold until the spring, there’s still plenty to see, even in the midst of winter. Some days can be a little grey, but look closely, and you’ll find colour and interest everywhere. Just the smell of woodlands has been scientifically proven  to enhance our moods, so they’re great for winter walks, helping lift our spirits during the darker months. Make sure you look out for the following...

Fungi: This comes in all shapes and sizes, from scarlet elf cups, which, as their name suggests, look like drinking vessels for tiny woodland folk, to yellow brain fungus, a brightly-coloured jelly-like mass which forms on dead wood. Different trees and settings will produce all kinds of different but  equally weird fungi and lots of colours.

Birds: Leafless branches make it easier to spot small birds flitting about the canopy. Look out for a flash of red – it could be a friendly robin or maybe a great spotted woodpecker – this impressive looking bird is a woodland favourite.  As are nuthatches – these handsome grey and rust-coloured birds are easily identified as they’re the only UK bird able to walk up and down tree trunks – quite a sight if you spot one! Large groups of thrushes, finches and tits also flit around trees and hedgerows looking for food.  And listen for bird song. Whilst most birds don’t sing at this time of year – they don’t want to waste precious energy outside the breeding season - song thrushes are one of the earliest birds to start, marking out territorial claims from as early as January, whilst robins never stop singing!

Of course, you don't have to head inland for a stroll. There is also nothing like embracing our coastline with a long walk along a beach or a coastal pathway. The smell of the sea and the sound of the crashing waves and gulls overhead make for a perfect mood-enhancer. Make sure you look out for the following...

Dune flowers: Dunes are really special, unique places, and need to be tough to handle the conditions they face. Marram grass is the spiky, thick tufted grass which forms many dunes. Its dense mass of roots helps keep the dune stable, which allows other plants to grow there.  Lovely yellow gorse flower throughout the year – its needley leaves help it survive in salty, windy conditions.  Have a smell – surprisingly, they have a coconut-like scent!

Migratory wading birds: Estuaries, such as The Wash in Norfolk, provide the perfect stop-off points for birds on their migratory route, or over-wintering in the UK, as they’re muddy flats are packed with food.  You can see knots and pink-footed geese in their thousands, giving spectacular displays at most nature reserves on the coast.

Childen looking at fungi, Family day out at the RSPB nature reserve, Sandy by Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

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