Take a walk on the wild side of life

Donal Hickey sings the praises of the great outdoors.

THERE’S hardly a better time for walking than the month of May, when nature is at its most vibrant and the countryside is in bloom.

In recent years, new walks and trails have been developed in many parts of the country, with Coillte alone offering more than 150 locations where you can take the air, listen to birdsong and, at the same time, improve your health with useful exercise.

There are also internationally recognised national parks in Killarney, Connemara, Donegal, the Burren and Wicklow, which, apart from their scientific importance, contain some spectacular scenery.

In comparison with more densely populated EU countries, we have places where people can still feel at one with the great outdoors. You’ll find beaches, moors and mountains where you can walk for miles without seeing another human being.

Coillte, the forestry board, manages 12 forest reserve parks in which the emphasis is on public use and recreation. Many of the parks are former private estates in landscapes of great natural interest and beauty.

Increasingly, people are being drawn to boglands, some of which have been part of the landscape for thousands of years.

Sadly, though, some people continue to use boglands for illegal dumping, scarring the beautiful, natural landscape.

There are 71 national nature reserves throughout Ireland, including woodlands, boglands, grasslands, sand dune systems, bird sanctuaries, coastal heathlands and marine areas, and the number is increasing annually.

Around the country, there are short and long walks, ranging from just a few kilometres to those than can take days, such as the 26km Cavan Way to the 214km Kerry Way. These routes are split into stages, with accommodation along the way, so you can take things at your own pace.

A good level of fitness is needed for the longer walks, for which — although generally well marked and signposted — maps are available.

With so much controversy arising from access to land, it’s essential people observe the country code, which includes basic courtesies such as closing gates, keeping dogs on leads, not damaging fences or ditches and keeping noise to a minimum.

Meanwhile, according to surveys, most people do not exercise enough, with about one in five failing to exercise at all. The experts’ advice is that adults should try to be physically active for at least 30 minutes each day, with the benefits including reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other ailments.

Researchers in American universities now say !the ‘natural high’ people get from exercise could be formulated and used in medication to help sufferers of depression.

Using mice to study the effect of exercise on the brain, Yale researchers tested the theory that for depression to lift, changes in the actual structure and links between brain cells were needed.

The team then conducted tests on mice which showed an effect on their behaviour that closely equated to antidepressant effects in humans.

The researchers now believe that a drug based on the results of their studies could offer relief that is as good as, or even better than, current antidepressants.

Team leader and psychiatry professor Ronald Duman reiterated that exercise improves brain function and mental health and provides protective benefits in the event of a brain injury or disease.

His team reported its findings in the journal Nature Medicine, saying their work could lead to more effective drugs to treat depression.

On a more down-to-earth level, the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) for Northern Ireland has been promoting physical activity, encouraging people who take little or no exercise to take part in one of its programmes.

The Walking for Health initiative was introduced in 2001 to encourage people to participate in regular short walks in their communities.

Since then, about 1,500 people have been trained as volunteer walk leaders and over 100 new walking groups have been established across Northern Ireland.

Kim Kensett, a physical activity coordinator with the Eastern Health and Social Services Board, has been involved in the initiative since it was introduced.

“The majority of participants on led walks are aged 50 and over. Many had little motivation to go out walking because they didn’t know where it was safe, or possible, to walk and didn’t want to walk alone,” she says.