The following article was published in the November 2020 edition of the South Wales Directories

At the time of writing, Caerphilly County borough is still in lockdown – and if you’re anything like me, my mood is darkening with the unease and uncertainty of not being able to get out and about. From the start of the Coronavirus restrictions we were advised to take some form of daily exercise and suddenly our parks and open spaces were busier than ever with people who haven’t used a pair of walking boots in years.

Sunday papers and magazines are full of expert advice on what we can do and where we can go to get our daily excercise and our much needed dose of outdoor life. There’s been lists of the UK’s best walks or advice on how to walk yourself fit and now the emphasis is on our mental well-being and how to cope with the Covid imposed incarceration.

One such recent article concentrated on mental fitness and stated that scientists from Trinity College, Dublin and the University of California have shown that short “awe-walks” (blame the Americans for that term) can greatly increase positive emotions and help maintain a healthy mind. An “awe-walk” is not about the length or difficulty of the walk but one where you make a conscious effort to look for things that will truly amaze you.

The research team set up one study group who were told not to seek out any awe inspiring moments (no starry skies or vast vistas) on their daily walk, whereas another group were instructed to actively seek out every “wow-factor” instance possible. Both groups had to take selfies before during and after their walks.

Analysis of those images showed that the first group remained focused solely on themselves whereas the selfies produced by the “awe” group progressively became more about the landscape whilst they themselves became smaller in the frame. Their smiles were also noticeably wider.

There have been other studies proving beyond doubt the beneficial effects of walking in our natural surroundings – not only for the obvious physical improvements but also for the reduction of mental stress. A survey of nearly 5,000 people by the Mental Health Foundation revealed that over half of those questioned said that going for a walk helped them cope with the stresses of the Covid lockdown – with a large proportion of them saying a visit to the countryside was particularly uplifting.

Another study by the University of Michigan measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol of participants before and after 10-20 minute walks. They found that the level of cortisol was significantly reduced after a walk where they were in contact with green, natural surroundings.

All that research only proves what I’ve always believed and it suits me down to the ground – because having Twmbarlwm mountain on our doorstep, my fitness and continued mental well-being is assured.

However, with my bad knee I can no longer manage the distance or the steep climb from the valley floor in Risca or Cwmcarn to the top. Thankfully the mountain is easily accessible by car, and using the car park on the common below the Twmp as a starting point there’s any number of short walks possible and viewing points with the necessary “wow-factor”.

Most of the “awe-walks” I take are less than two miles and yet often take me a couple of hours because of my frequent stops to sit and take in the views. Apart from a few yards that are a bit steep, if my bad knee and general health can handle these walks then anybody should be able to – you won’t get lost up here either, the car park is easily visible from the Twmp.

The article didn’t describe the walks in detail but I have since walked them and taken photos on the way so please follow the links below to get a fuller description of the walks and to see the photographs.

Click here to get Directions to the car park.

Terry Evans, Chairman, Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society

Click on the following links for a fuller description and photographs of the walks 

• Twmbarlwm Awe Walk #01

• Twmbarlwm Awe Walk #02

• Twmbarlwm Awe Walk #03

There are, of course, any number of different routes you can take, or mix up different sections of these walks – to get to all the view-points shown here. But we’ve put these short walks together simply to illustrate the beautiful landscape we have on our doorstep and to show that you needn’t hike miles and miles or be mega-fit to experience this  inspirational landscape.

So get out there now, maybe take a flask of tea with you and see how much a leisurely, short walk will improve your own well-being in these trying times.