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LIVE FOR THE OUTDOORS march 2019
the one that wants to talk about the power of the mountains
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MENTAL HEALTH – OUT IN THE OPEN
mountains
formind
the
One in four people in Britain experience mental health problems each year,
and one in six of us report them to our GP every single week. BUT it’s been
scientifically proven that spending time in the great outdoors is a powerful
natural anti-depressant, and regular exercise can reduce the risk of depression
by 30%. That’s why in 2019 we’re launching Mountains For the Mind –
a campaign to finally get mental health out in the open.
“My first trip into the hills
was momentous. That walk
changed my life.”
“Being in the
hills makes
my heart sing.
It makes me
feel alive.”
“Mountains give
you a real sense of
achievement and
a positive mental
attitude.”
“I started dragging friends
into the hills and noticed an
instant relief. I felt alive,
I could breathe.”
“I’m a different
person when
I’m in the
mountains.
My mind settles
down, the brain
fog lifts.”
“I was always
stuck in four walls
and isolated. The
mountains opened
up the world to me.”
32 Trail march 2019 march 2019 Trail 33

MENTAL HEALTH – OUT IN THE OPEN
Six people who have never met
before are chatting, laughing
and fiddling with rucksack
straps as they stride together
up the slopes of Blencathra.
Derwent Water gleams gold
beneath a bank of cloud
and the humps of the Lake
District’s Northern Fells gather around it.
At some point, each person takes a deep
contended breath of the chilly mountain
air, looks back over the view, and smiles.
These six people are very different. They
have travelled here from Bristol, Wales,
Scotland and Lancashire. There are 21
years between two of them; each of their
successes and difficulties are particular to
them. But they have one thing in common,
which has drawn them together on one
of the best-loved hills in the UK. They all
love the mountains. And not only that,
they have all found healing, confidence or
comfort in these high and wild places.
According to Mind, the mental health
charity, one in four people in the UK
will experience a mental health problem
each year. In England, one in six people
report experiencing a common mental
health problem (such as anxiety and
depression) in any given week. Some of
these problems will require a particular
kind of help and treatment – ‘mental
health’ is a huge term under which
a whole variety of symptoms and
experiences of the world are scooped.
Treatment varies from person to person,
but for this six, walking in the hills has
been an important part of their recovery
and continues to be essential to their
wellbeing.
Nick Livesey has experienced anxiety
and depression for most of his life,
but found such solace and vitality in
the hills that he moved to Snowdonia
permanently. Now, he looks out on their
contours every day, has uncovered quiet
and unfrequented tops, and captures his
sense of their beauty and mystique in
his mountain photography. Today he’s
speaking with a kind of gentle, happy
contentment. A small smile rests on his
face as he trudges uphill – sometimes
falling into conversation with others,
sometimes content with his own company
and that of the hill. A haze of cloud sits
over the hills to the south and he pauses
for a moment to look back and absorb
the cascading view.
“On a very simple level the hills offer
healing due to their beauty,” says Nick.
“And in terms of managing anxiety, that’s
a balm for you, it really is.” Though he
lives in Wales now, Nick’s first trip to
the mountains was just over 20km south
of here. “Me and a couple of friends
went to Great Langdale,” he remembers.
“We were coming through Chapel Stile
and we saw Harrison Stickle towering
above us and it was terrifying. I was very
afraid of heights and I didn’t know what
to expect.” After reading books about
mountains for nearly two years, he had
finally taken the plunge, to experience
their particular blend of challenge and
“I realised hills
aren’t just a form
of exercise. they
really are a form
of therapy, and I needed
to get back out on them.”
Words sarah ryan
Photography tom bAiley
beauty for himself, first hand. That trip
would change his life. “Once I got home
I was really excited, ecstatic in fact,
because I knew I’d found what I’d been
looking for,” he says.
“I had to have it. It was like some kind
of magic elixir which was essential to
my mental wellbeing. I ended up joining
a local mountaineering club so I could
go out one weekend a month, which was
really important to me.”
Having a certain amount of time
outside, climbing hills, breathing the
sharp air and absorbing an awe-inspiring
view became a critical part of Andrea
Powell’s recovery too. She speaks with a
quick smile, and her love of wild places
flashes into her eyes as she glimpses for
the first time the uninhabited expanse of
the fells north of Blencathra.
“Actually, it was the hills that were
keeping me sane at one point,” she says,
and when she was signed off work with
stress she turned to the same hills to
recover. “It was a light bulb moment,”
she explains. “I realised that these hills
aren’t just a form of exercise, they really
are a form of therapy and I needed to
get back out on them.” Andrea started
by volunteering for a charity in the
Cairngorms before going back out on
walks with friends and her partner, doing
the thing which brought her the most joy.
“You get out of the car, put your boots on
and it feels like you’ve got this amazing
day ahead,” she grins. “You’re not quite
sure what it’s going to hold but it’s
exciting and there’s an amazing feeling of
getting to the top, whether you get a view
or not. You’ve put your body through
some kind of effort and no-one else
has done that for you, it’s just you.
The satisfaction of feeling your muscles
ache when you get back down and the
chatter in the pubs afterwards… it just
brings lots of joy and happiness.”
Her description of why she loves the
hills touches on many things which
can help in times of distress: time in
nature, exercise, and quality time with
loved ones. Endorphins and serotonin
– hormones which make you feel good –
are released during or after exercise and,
according to Mind, can calm anxiety and
help you to feel happier. For David Brice,
getting out and being physically active in
the hills has become crucial to managing
his depression. “The physical side of it
was huge for my health,” he says, “I still
suffer with depression; I’m coming out the
back of a depression now. But a lot of the
problems I had with mental health were a
lack of endorphins, which is why I was on
anti-depressants.” Despite still living with
depression, he’s no longer on medication
and following a period of addiction to
alcohol and sugar, where he went from
dangerously underweight to overweight,
is now much more healthy.
“I use it as my strength,” he says, “I’m
able to encourage people to be more open.
My outlook is one of positivity. If I can
feed that back into other people with
the work I do, then that’s what I feel like
I have an obligation to do.” Now he
works in outreach, helping those who
suffer, like he did, with addiction.
Connecting with others is another
essential way to maintain wellbeing, for
some loneliness can be a contributing
factor to negative mental health. It can be
great to stomp off into the hills alone and
cast whatever anger, grief or loneliness
you experience down among the rocks.
But it can also be incredibly helpful to
share that with a friend or family member
who can listen, patiently and without
judgement. “I’ve come from the darkest
depths of a horrible world,” says Andy
Cole, who has experienced periods of
depression and had thoughts of suicide. “I
wouldn’t wish it on anybody. And I know
more people suffer, but we don’t talk
about the stuff.”
Georgina Jackson, who received a
diagnosis of bipolar disorder several
years ago, also found that it affected
her ability to connect with the people
she cared about. “I completely shut
down and didn’t want to speak to
or see anyone,” she admits.
For Ruth Hugill, the combination
of spending time with her daughter
and partner, in the hills that she loves,
helped her deal with the negative feelings
associated with a diagnosis of breast
cancer. “You know, I was fighting this
Descending from
Blencathra’s summit, united by
the healing power of the hills.
awful disease and I knew that I had to
get strong and fit and healthy and it gave
me great exercise,” she says. “But also,
when you’re walking up a hill, you’ve got
to keep going. It was like a reflection of
what I was going through in my life.”
Going out on the hills with a trusted
friend might be just the thing to break
that perpetuating cycle. And if you are
the friend who offers a gloved hand,
saying, ‘Hey, the weather looks good
this weekend, how about we try for that
hill?’, you could be offering someone
more than just a fun trip. It could also
be a lifeline.
Cloud sits low over the southern fells,
obscuring all but the nearest peaks. The
summit of Blencathra, however, is clear.
At the top, the six huddle around the
broken trig point, smiling, laughing and
breaking off chunks of chocolate. Bars
of sunlight break through the cloud,
illuminating the patchwork of fields
below. The hills of the Lake District fill
the horizon.
“When you’re in the middle of it, you
don’t realise how much it’s hitting you
emotionally,” says Ruth. “But when I
look back, I think, ‘my goodness, I’ve
been through this but others are going
through it now’, and I just want to get it
out there. The power that the walking
can do to your health, it’s absolutely
fantastic.”
34 Trail MARCH 2019
MARCH 2019 Trail 35

MENTAL HEALTH – OUT IN THE OPEN
Nick Livesey, 45
Mountain photographer
Snowdonia
I started suffering from anxiety and depression in my teens,
discovered dope and started self-medicating. I became so
paranoid that I wouldn’t answer the phone or the door. I felt
that I didn’t have a place on Earth and didn’t know what to do
about it. Then I knew things had to change. When I found a copy
of Wales by WA Poucher in my local library I was astonished. I
thought, ‘Good God, look at this beauty,’ and became obsessed
with mountain books.
My first trip was momentous. I persuaded two friends to
come with me and that walk changed my life – there was a
great deal of camaraderie. I found it challenging physically,
mentally and emotionally, but knew I’d found a way out of
my distress. I had felt incredibly disconnected so when I got
to commune with nature on the hill it simplified everything.
It slowed it down and helped me to be present rather than
wondering about the future or worrying about things I’d done.
The mountains, especially the Rhinogydd in Snowdonia, speak
to a part of me that I don’t quite understand. There’s genuine
beauty out there, it’s healing and I’m very happy with life now.
Ruth hugill, 39
Chemistry teacher
Chorley, Lancashire
Seven years ago, in March, I was diagnosed
with grade 3 breast cancer. I couldn’t believe
it. The lump, it was so real, and I just hit a
brick wall. I’d always enjoyed nature, loving my
walking, and I thought that part of my life was
going to end, but I’ve got a fantastic partner
and a beautiful daughter, and once I started my
treatment they got me out as much as possible.
It was such a team effort. The mountains
became a real source of determination for me.
At one point, I couldn’t put one foot in front of
the other, it was so, so painful. So I set myself a
goal to go over Striding Edge. After six months
of workouts and an organic diet, I did it and I
felt like I was me again. Now, I feel healthy, fit,
I’m not suffering any mental health problems,
and I do think it’s fundamentally down to the
mountains – getting out there, walking and
being in the fresh air, meeting different people.
Every person on a mountain has their own
story and you can get real inspiration from
that, it’s amazing.
Andy Cole, 41
Outdoor adventure
student
Skye
Four years ago, I sat on the steps to the Irish Sea ready
to end my life. I suffered severely with depression,
became anti-social and shut myself away. I eventually
spoke to a doctor who was an outdoors enthusiast and
I’m truly grateful for her encouragement to go outdoors
instead of being sat on medication for the rest of my life.
I started dragging friends into the hills and noticed an
instant relief. I felt alive, I could breathe, it was easier
to deal with the issues I was going through. I counselled
myself in the hills. I spent time alone and with friends
talking about my issues, and my problems became
easier to deal with because I was in such a beautiful
environment. It put my life into perspective. We’re
minuscule compared to everything else. Every day is
getting better: my confidence is boosted and my mental
health is 120% better. I don’t think I’m out of the woods
but it’s a lot easier to deal with. Every day is different.
The skies might be full of rain, they might be full of
cloud, but it gives a different story every day. And I’m
part of that story.
36 Trail MARCH 2019
MARCH 2019 Trail 37

MENTAL HEALTH – OUT IN THE OPEN
david brice, 46
Recovery support
worker
Bristol
Ten years ago, I was given a year to live if I didn’t
stop drinking. I had been an addict for 23 years
and in that time I suffered with depression
and made five attempts on my life. I was also
extremely ill and malnourished. I quit drinking
and went from 7 to 15 stone inside of a year
because I was also addicted to sugar. I started
realising that I’ve got to exercise. My first
mountain was Pen y Fan in winter. When we
got there a load of soldiers rocked up and we
walked with them. I suddenly realised, ‘Hang
on Dave, you’re not as unhealthy as you thought
you were’. To get to the top really was a sense of
achievement and I get that feeling every time.
Places like this give me the ability to reflect, it’s
peaceful, and I get the physical exercise. I don’t
take anti-depressants anymore because I don’t
need them. Being a guy that was always stuck in
four walls and very isolated, the mountains have
opened up the world to me.
andrea powell, 35
Occupational therapist
Edinburgh
About 18 months ago I was signed off from work
with stress. I’d never really had any time off, stress
didn’t affect me majorly, but one day I found myself at
my desk in floods of tears. When I was reflecting on
what happened, I realised I hadn’t been out on a hill for
4 or 5 weeks. I was introduced to the mountains by
my partner, and if I had not been walking in them for the
year leading up to it I probably would have been ill much
sooner. I needed to get back out. Unfortunately, it can be
really hard to step over your doorstep when you’re
not feeling well. My manager was really supportive
though, which gave me the approval I needed. Now, I
don’t feel fearful. If things aren’t going so good, I go out
on the hills and make myself feel better. The unknowns
in life are challenging, and stress is always around the
corner, so I think having an outlet is a really positive
thing. Being in the hills makes my heart sing. It makes
me feel like I’m alive.
georgina jackson, 25
Engineer
Derby
In about 2014, I was diagnosed as being bipolar. With that, I get a lot of depression and anxiety.
I was that person who didn’t get out of bed for three days, who though they know they should
shower couldn’t find the energy to do it. In my lowest times I even had symptoms of anaemia.
I had joined my local climbing club and realised that it wasn’t always the climbing that made
me feel better – it was the walk-ins and the scrambles and getting outside with other people,
that really helped. It brings out this confidence in me that, if I can climb that mountain, I
can do anything. I’m a different person when I’m in the mountains. My mind settles down,
the brain fog lifts and I think physically I’m stronger. There’s an innate motivation to keep
going. My outlook on life now is very different. I’m a nicer person. Before, I didn’t understand
people’s different perspectives but now I just try to be honest with myself and other people.
I’m a lot more calm. Things don’t have to go the way I planned them and that’s fine, because
that’s what got me here in the first place.
38 Trail MARCH 2019
MARCH 2019 Trail 39

MENTAL HEALTH – OUT IN THE OPEN
Help is
out there
If you think you or someone you know may be
at immediate risk of harming themselves,
phone 999 or go to A&E.
Other sources of support:
l Samaritans (available 24/7), phone 116 123
l Your GP, or out of hours, phone 111
l Mind Infoline, phone 0300 123 3393,
email info@mind.org.uk or text 86463
l www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide
Walking in the mountains may or may
not be appropriate if you are in a
state of distress. Please take
care of yourself first.
Take the first step
We want to get mental health out in the open.
In 2019 Trail is launching Mountains for the Mind
– a major new campaign to spread the word about
the benefits of being outside. We believe in the power
of the mountains to change lives for the better,
and we need your help to spread the word.
The problem
One in four people
experience mental health
problems each year
450 million people
worldwide currently
experience mental
health problems
Anxiety and depression
are the most commonly
diagnosed problems
Every two hours, someone
in England and Wales
takes their own life
mountains
for
the mind
The solution
Exposure to nature can lift
your mood for up to 7 hours
Spending time outdoors
can reduce the risk of
depression by 30%
Regular exercise can be a
more effective treatment
than taking anti-depressants
Being active improves sleep
quality, while reducing
stress and anxiety levels
Walking has been proven
to boost self-esteem
Pledge your support
Visit www.mountainsforthemind.co.uk to sign up for free and help us
raise awareness of the benefits of being in the mountains.
If you’re reading this magazine we know
you already love mountains and wild
places, but this is about spreading the
word further. We want to inspire friends,
colleagues and loved ones to get outside
and take those first steps to improving
their mental health. Everyone can
benefit, whatever their circumstances.
Once you’ve signed up, we’ll send you a
monthly newsletter packed with ideas
for mountain trips, inspiring stories,
campaign news, and exclusive offers
from our partners. Most importantly,
we’ll tell you how you can help us get
more people outside, so they can feel
alive in the mountains too.
mountains
mind
for
the
Wear
the badge
Show your support for
Mountains for the Mind by
wearing your limited edition pin
badge – available to pre-order
now for £3.99 from
www.mountainsforthemind.
co.uk
OUR PARTNERS
MARCH 2019 Trail 41

advertising feature
Berghaus
giveaway
Win insulated jackets for
you and a hillwalking mate!
The Tephra
Stretch
Reflect Down
Insulated
Jacket, worth
£170 each!
“I found solace in the hills”
Legend of world mountaineering Sir Chris Bonington has accomplished many physical
the mental challenges of life that proved the toughest battles. Here he explains how the
Sir Chris is Britain’s most famous
mountaineer. But behind the
truly astounding chronology of
expeditions, which includes fearsome
and ground-breaking expeditions on
the Eiger, Everest and peaks all over the
world, Sir Chris’s life has been stricken
with tragedy and grief.
In 2014 Chris lost his wife Wendy. “50
years of wonderful marriage,” says Chris.
“The grief. It’s really hard times after a
loved one dies. There’s the intensity of
the funeral, and even though I had a lot
of support from family and friends, you
still go home to an empty house. I found
solace just walking in the Lake District
where I live. I got a sustenance. It enabled
me to get back a balance.”
Chris champions the amazing
restorative benefits of time spent
outdoors on mental health in his role as
non-executive chairman of Berghaus.
Having scaled back his epic adventures,
Chris still immerses himself in the joy
of being outside in the hills of France
and the Lakes. “I’ve been lucky enough
to find love again with Loreto, but
getting into wild country is incredibly
important therapy,” says Chris. “I walk
a tremendous amount. The feeling it
gives you. The peace you get from it.
I never cease to wonder about the beauty
of nature – a scene, a sunset, the hills,
the clouds, the pattern in the lichen.
It’s not just walking, it’s being aware
of the environment around you and
being emotionally involved with the
landscape around you.”
The mountains are a place that Chris
has learnt to rely on not just to quench
his thirst for adventure, but also to
maintain a healthy mental balance.
As well as the loss of his first wife in
recent years, Chris lost his first child,
Conrad, in 1966, aged just two years
old. Throughout his mountaineering
career, Chris has also sadly lost too
many friends in their quest to push the
very limits of possibility on their quest
to climb in new and risky places.
“Extreme climbing is a very dangerous
game. But mountains and wild places are
incredibly important therapy too,” says
Chris. “When you’re climbing a mountain
all you can focus on is the rock and ice
in front of you. There is nothing else.
Every adventurer has got to be prepared
to accept risk. But there is danger and
uncertainty in all our lives to a degree.
I believe in making the absolute most of
life in all areas – family and job – and the
mountains help you do that.”
For Chris some of the strongest bonds
have been formed in the mountains,
where passions are shared, adversity
and problems are faced together and
you ultimately put your lives in each
other’s hands. Even when some of these
friendships have been torn apart, Chris
feats through a career lasting over 60 years, but it’s been
mountains have always provided the therapy he needed...
has found that the mountains have been
a source of healing. “I remember in 1982
when we attempted the north-east ridge
of Everest. There were four of us on that
expedition: myself, Pete Boardman, Joe
Tasker and Dick Renshaw. Both Pete
and Joe lost their lives that day. Both
were very close friends. Afterwards, Joe’s
partner, Maria, and Pete’s wife, Hilary,
came to stay. Maria and I set out together
to climb Helvellyn by Striding Edge a
little too late and had a mild epic on the
way down. That shared experience on the
mountain helped them immensely though.
Afterwards they trekked to Everest Base
Camp together to visit the memorial we
put up for Pete and Joe.”
Now 84, Chris has stepped back
from big mountain expeditions, but the
hills are still his lifeblood and source
of wonder. His work with Berghaus
since 1984 has enabled him to indulge
in his passions and pay homage to
the important role good kit plays in
protecting you whatever the weather,
freeing up headspace to get the most out
of time spent outdoors.
Along with Berghaus’s own campaign
‘Time To Get Out’, which urges people
to escape the stresses of modern life by
reconnecting with others in the outdoors,
Chris is keen to help Berghaus raise
awareness. “The importance of Trail’s
Mountains for the Mind campaign is
that everyone can get into wild country,”
he said. “We are incredibly fortunate
in the British Isles with the beauty of
our hills and National Parks. It’s a vital
therapy that enables you to cope with
the challenges of life and get much more
out of every part of your life. It broadens
your mind. And the effect is universal.”
To join Chris in supporting Trail’s Mountains
for the Mind campaign, pledge your support
at www.mountainsforthemind.co.uk
Mountains for the Mind supporter and leading
outdoor clothing brand Berghaus understands
the importance of getting out into the hills
for your mental wellbeing. With more than 50
years’ experience creating outdoor gear that’s
beautifully designed and built to last, Berghaus
helps you to get out more.
To make sure you stay warm enough to enjoy
your time outdoors, Berghaus is giving away
two Tephra Stretch Reflect Down Insulated
Jackets, worth a combined £340 – one for you
and one for a friend!
Designed to never let the cold keep you in
again, the jacket features a technically-advanced
ultra-light inner reflective mesh, which directs
body heat back to your core and boosts warmth
by up to 20% over jackets without Reflect, so it’s
ideal for frosty summit-top brews or cosy fireside
camps. Specifically for mountain conditions,
it’s also packed with Hydrodown ® treated
with Nikwax to keep you insulated even in wet
conditions and features stretchy side-panels and
a hood for freedom of movement.
How to enter: Go to www.mountainsforthemind.
co.uk/berghausgiveaway for your chance to win.
Competition closes 25 February 2019. Full T&Cs
can also be found on the website.
Proudly supporting Mountains for the Mind
mountains
for
the mind
42 Trail march 2019 MARCH 2019 Trail 43

“My first trip
into the hills
was momentous.
That walk
changed my life.”
“Being in the hills
makes my heart
sing. It makes
me feel alive.”
“Mountains give
you a real sense
of achievement
and a positive
mental attitude.”
Mountains for the Mind is a new campaign from Trail magazine and mental
health charity Mind, promoting the benefits of being outside. We believe in the
power of mountains to change lives and improve mental health –
and we need your help to spread the word.
SIGN UP NOW AT:
www.mountainsforthemind.co.uk
MAGAZINE