Countryside: Who really has access to the great outdoors?

Image source, Haroon Mota

Did you go for a walk in the countryside before?

Maybe you stuck your hiking boots on, grabbed a waterproof and hopped in the car for a few hours of fresh air and glorious landscapes.

If you don't have a car, what are you going to do? Are you talking about hiking boots? Do you mean a suitable coat? If you can't afford a bus ticket or there aren't any buses in your area, what are you going to do?

Maybe you can't walk. Maybe you don't feel like you fit in in the countryside because you don't see anyone who looks like you.

The countryside is not a place that a lot of people can access.

The Muslim community is trying to change that.

A lover of the outdoors, the former charity events organiser noticed he rarely saw other people looking like him when he was out walking and wanted to do something to change that

Image source, Harooon Mota

He started the Muslim Hikers group on social media because he wanted to encourage people to get outside more.

There were plenty of documented cases of loneliness and isolation and I wanted to address that and share stories of positive role models.

People from all over the world were "flocking to our page" after the page "blew up".

The first hike we took was up Snowdon in July of last year.

"We had 80 people from across the UK who'd traveled to join us for our first hike and it was just beautiful, especially having just emerged from the Pandemic and seeing all of the people on social media."

The group's monthly hikes attract up to 150 people and they visit national parks across the UK.

Image source, Haroon Mota

The people we meet outdoors are always pleasant. People want to know why we're here and they love what we're doing.

He runs a company called Muslim Hikers and Active Inclusion Network that promotes getting outdoors to diverse audiences.

The idea is to give them the knowledge and confidence to do it their own way, whether that's solo travel or coming back with their friends or their family.

People who have met on our hikes are going on to do their own hikes in smaller friend circles, which is nice to see.

Image source, Haroon Mota

Questions have been asked about why the group is called Muslim Hikers.

He thinks it has everything to do with it.

I think we are tackling under-representation head on.

Many people at the hikes were visiting a national park for the first time, and it was easier to be in a supportive environment with other newcomers.

We want to nurture relationships with the national parks so that they can be seen as places where people feel comfortable and happy, where they feel safe, and where they can belong.

The Welsh government established priorities for Wales' national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in a report published last year.

While it is important for all sectors of society to experience these designated landscapes, particular focus should be given to children and young families from deprived areas In order to tackle the inequalities that exist in health, education and economic outcomes amongst the poor, action needs to be taken.

Image source, Darren Bartley

Down in south Wales,Darren Bartley devotes a lot of his working life to trying to realise this ambition and foster a similar relationship with the countryside for young people who have less chances of experiencing it.

He is an engagement and participant officer for children's services at Neath Port Talbot council and he has set up a number of groups for young people who have been in care.

Two of them, Hope, a girls' rights group, and a young person's panel called Youth Voice Matters, are participating in an outdoor festival called Green Spaces, Dark Skies, which is designed to encourage diverse groups of people to experience the natural environment.

There are three outdoor events in Wales in the UK, with the others in the other two countries.

The events take place as darkness falls and all participants carry specially designed torches which are used to create a filmed light and sound experience

Spending time in the outdoors for the young people he worked with did wonders for their mental health.

Image source, Darren Bartley

A lot of the children I work with are vulnerable and in need of help. I know that they don't always get access to the outdoors and the benefits that come with it.

He said that if you looked at their personal lives, they would never go to a country park unless these things were put on.

There are a lot of outdoor spaces of natural beauty in Neath Port Talbot, but the young people don't get to go to them.

It allows them to do what they want. It's a huge effort for them to try something new, to go to the coast, it's really out of their comfort zone, but for this group they're starting to value the fun things that are on.

Proper transport links to these places would have a far more profound effect on families and their relationships than throwing medication at people's mental health problems.

Transport is a big issue in Neath Port Talbot because you have all these valleys to navigate. If you live in a city, it's not as simple.

Image source, Darren Bartley

He wants to bulk- buy walking gear for the children so they can't make it an excuse for not coming.

I have a lot of kit in my wardrobe because I can go out in all weathers, and some of these children don't have the proper coat to go to school in.

The young people were given the chance to talk while walking in the middle of nowhere.

They remove things from their chest.

You walk with someone for five minutes and you can either know them better or not. From a professional point of view, it builds more of a relationship.

A key issue for the people who come along to the Healthy Lives project is access to transportation.

The children from south Wales have been participating in the Green Spaces, Dark Skies events, as have the members of the group.

Catherine said that the group did a lot of going outdoors. People who weren't physically able came along and we took our time.

"People stopped and closed their eyes and said, 'Listen to the birds, this is just so peaceful'." People began stroking trees, someone began sniffing things and said, "smell this"

I think people walk and talk a lot. It's a lot of fun for everyone.

Image source, Catherine Povey

Some of the group can catch buses on their own, but not all of them have transportation.

She said that public transport is the same as for everyone.

We don't have a minibuses and a lot of people won't have their own, so we're going by bus today."

We have to finish at half past three because the last bus is coming back at that time.

Image source, Healthy Lives

The group is for people with learning disabilities and some of them will have reduced mobility.

There are some people in wheelchairs and others who need a stick. Some people, like the rest of us, are not as fit as they could be, despite the fact that we split the group into lower mobility and higher mobility.

Catherine is aware of the fact that not every place can be reached.

It's a bit of a balancing act. It's not possible to make all the wild places accessible to everyone. You can't have trains going to the top of mountains.

She wants to see more provision so that everyone gets the chance to experience the wild.

If you look around you don't have to go up every single mountain. You are looking around and in them.

Image source, Healthy Lives

Getting into nature now can help bring back fond memories of walking and swimming in the countryside when she was a child.

She thinks better wheelchair provision could help with countryside access because the services are not frequent enough.

She said she likes to walk and look at trees.

She said she looks at the trees to guess which ones are which.

I enjoy birds." I like whistling because I don't speak a lot.