From the moment that lockdown restrictions were first introduced in the UK, Brits seemed to notice, for the first time in a while, the world outside their window. Traffic jams moved from the motorway, to the hordes of people navigating footpaths from a two-metre distance, picnicking in parks and more recently, crowding the beaches. Whilst it’s disappointing that some have chosen to use this long summer as an excuse for dangerous mass gatherings, it’s reassuring that nature has become an important part of our daily routine, and an essential element for well-being.

 

With restrictions easing, the general public are gaining more access to the great outdoors, and people can now be found strawberry-picking in local farms, and wandering around the grounds of stately homes. Yet, many sites such as National Trust parklands are operating on a limited, booking-only basis, and the lack of toilets and refreshments available means that many are still reluctant to make a trip. Luckily, however, there is a range of virtual ways to access nature, negating the need to travel long distances and/or spend money accessing these spots.

 

Winterbourne House is a beautiful, peaceful place to spend an afternoon reading, wandering through the gardens, or meeting a friend in the tearooms

For students at the University of Birmingham, Winterbourne House is a beautiful, peaceful place to spend an afternoon reading, wandering through the gardens, or meeting a friend in the tearooms. Whilst the entire site has been closed to the public since March, two Members have released a guided meditative walk around the gardens, that you can explore from home. The organisers explain that ‘we have evolved in nature, so it’s not surprising that connecting back to it can help to restore and uplift our general well-being.’

 

In the video, mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing are combined with visualisation, as you are invited to explore several areas of the grounds

In the video, mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing are combined with visualisation, as you are invited to explore several areas of the grounds such as the walled garden, Japanese bridge, and terrace. In my favourite moment, the speaker states, ‘you have nowhere else to be, so you sit, and enjoy some precious time just for yourself.’ For me, this sums up the importance of spending time in nature: it’s a gift that we didn’t have to qualify for, it’s freely given, and there to access whenever we feel like it.

 

Another great resource is the multitude of virtual garden tours available, many of which are listed here, in the form of short YouTube videos. One video documents the garden that Monet created and used as artistic inspiration for almost two decades in Giverny, France. The speaker remarks that the ‘symbiosis between the artist and the gardener is truly remarkable.’ If you’ve ever gazed at a Monet painting, such as his captivating waterlilies or scenes of the footbridge, you’ll have noticed this connection, where art and nature combine to create work that lives and breathes the environment it was created in.

 

With rigorous annual planting schemes, it seems a lockdown project like no other

For some British heritage, the video exploring the Gardens at Waddesdon Manor takes a birds-eye view of the grounds, explaining its Victorian design. At least 60 gardeners previously worked on the intricate flowerbeds and glasshouses, with attractions including 3-D flower structures. With rigorous annual planting schemes, it seems a lockdown project like no other, and you can lose yourself within the complex patterns.

 

My favourite tour has to be of the US Botanic Gardens in Washington. This has the option to navigate various scenes within the interior and exterior of the grounds, so that you feel as if you are really wandering through the plants. The Tropics House in particular offers a leafy paradise, with streams and bridges intersecting with the greenery. Why not put on a relaxing playlist and see what you can discover?

 

With such resources at our fingertips, both virtually, and (eventually) available to us in person, it’s important that we don’t take the environment for granted. Whilst the lockdown has certainly seen reduced levels of air pollution and more prominent wildlife, the global climate crisis isn’t going away. We need to take steps to ensure that we can preserve our ever-dwindling outside world.

 

Nature is something bigger and more beautiful than our minds can ever comprehend, and therein lies its appeal. It’s not something that we can figure out or compartmentalise (although many of us try, with our gardening magazines), but it remains something that simply exists. We’ve nurtured a special relationship with nature during the lockdown, which I feel is summed up beautifully in Meg Cox’s poem- Summer Holidays, where she writes, ‘sometimes we sat in hedges and didn’t do anything much.’ Beyond anything else, nature gives us the excuse, and the permission, to just sit and be.

 

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More from Redbrick Culture:

I Thrive on Solitude: Tracey Emin’s Blue Period?

Top Five Museums to Explore Virtually During Lockdown

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