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How UK trails offer students an escape from academic stress

Written by Fiona

October 02 2024

University is often a time of stress due to deadlines, exams and the pressure to perform, but when students in the United Kingdom search for reassurance and respite from their academic lives, they have plenty of options. This includes spending time outdoors, perhaps hiking on trails, in the hills and in the mountains. The UK’s countryside is easily accessible and can provide students with a peaceful escape from academic stress, and using an essay service from professional writers can help them maintain their studies while taking a well-deserved break. UKWritings.com offers expert writing services, allowing students to balance relaxation with academic success.

There is an amazing variety of places to hike, from long-distance trails through valleys and glens, to undulating hills, to rugged coastlines to majestic mountains.

A growing problem of student stress

The number of students seeking mental health support in universities in the UK has reportedly shot up in recent years. Problems are complex, but financial concerns, social pressures, the growing weight of future employment prospects, the pressure to achieve the top grades, all contribute to students’ feelings of being under pressure.

The most established stress-management tools – counselling services and campus wellness programmes – are crucial. But a burgeoning number of students are finding that an effective path to a better mental health or a spiritual recharge begins with their walking boots. 

Nature’s calming effect

There is something sublimely soothing about being outdoors. The soft crinkle of leaves, the susurrus of water lapping against the shoreline, or the chorus of a distant bird are all known to lift us out of our ruminative states, if only for a moment. This isn’t mere conjecture.

A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that natural settings can help to lower cortisol levels, reduce blood pressure, and ease the blues.

For students accustomed to sitting for long periods in class or poring over textbooks or computer screens, being outdoors and walking in the countryside offers a valuable antidote to the mental (and, indeed, physical) inertia that can overwhelm a school day. The rhythmic act of one foot after another, with an influx of oxygen, and the individual sensory experiences of nature, can literally reset the mind.

The UK’s trails and paths: A natural stress-buster

Another advantage for UK students is the extensive system of public footpaths, long-distance footpaths and bridleways criss-crossing the country. In many countries, wilderness areas are hours from the nearest city, but the UK’s compact geography means that no university student is ever far from a countryside getaway.

Exploring UK trails offers students a refreshing escape from academic stress, and using an essay writing service UK can help them stay on top of their studies while enjoying time outdoors.

What about undergraduate students at the university in Sheffield, for instance, who can jump on a bus or train for an hour and find themselves in the centre of the Peak District National Park? Or those in London, where students know that a couple of hours’ journey takes them to the North Downs Way.

In Scotland, the West Highland Way is on the doorstep of Glasgow students while the John Muir Way is easily reached by students in Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Physical benefits: More than just a walk in the park

Not only are there big benefits for mental wellbeing, but there are numerous physical benefits to hiking as well. Regular hikes can increase cardiovascular fitness, build muscle, improve balance and coordination. It is also a far more stimulating way to exercise for any student who has little or no time to make it to the gym.

More specifically, the elevated heart rate of a good hike can produce deeper night-time sleep, crucial in maintaining that precarious balance between study and life. Increased daylight and physical activity, even a little hike or run, along with the absence of the blue light that wakes up the brain, can reset circadian cycles derailed by night-time study.

Social connections on the trail

It is a common experience that university can be a bit lonely, especially when students are away from home for the first time. Hiking clubs are a chance to both make friends and do something healthier (and very different) than just hitting the bars and brothels.

Universities sometimes have hiking or rambling societies that venture out into nearby trails on a regular basis. These trips offer a chance to get away from studying, to enrich the experience with shared community and shared experience, which can help you cope with loneliness or isolation.

Mindfulness in motion

The practice of mindfulness, or being fully present in the moment, has become increasingly popular as a means to manage stress and anxiety, and hiking is a natural environment in which to practise it. Paying attention to the sights, sounds and smells around you; the walk itself; the feel of your feet on the ground; the ebb and flow of your breathing – all of these things can nudge you into a meditative state in which you are no longer worrying about an upcoming assignment or exam.

This ‘moving meditation’ is especially helpful to those who find traditional sitting meditation difficult, as the changing scenery and physical movement themselves offer natural anchors for attention, and lessen the tendency to ruminate on stressors.

Planning your escape: A guide to UK trails

For students looking to explore the UK’s trails, there’s no shortage of options. Here’s a table highlighting some popular trails near major university towns, along with their difficulty levels and approximate distances:

Balancing trail time with studies

The major advantages of hiking are obvious, but students shouldn’t lose focus by spending too much time outdoors, which would hinder their ability to accomplish school work. Below is an instruction that describes a task, paired with an input that provides further context. Write a response that appropriately completes the request.

Some of the advantages of hiking are obvious. Many trails lead to the top of a mountain, where the breathtaking scenery makes you feel like the most satisfied person on earth and leaves you wanting more. However, college students should carefully manage their time between trail time and their school work. Below is an instruction that describes a task, paired with an input that provides further context. Write a response that appropriately completes the request.

Alternating between trail time and schoolwork is essential for college students, and here are some helpful tips for incorporating trail time into their busy schedules.

1. Take your backpack, water, food and camera.

2. Monitor the weather before setting off, as rain, snow or extremely cold weather can be dangerous and bring your trip to an end.

3. Wear the right clothing and shoes.

There’s a few things you can try to compensate: one is to reward yourself for completing assignments or revising for exams (feel free to reward yourself with a hike too if you’re rewarding yourself for that, as it might encourage you to stay on track with your studies, by envisaging the reward of the literal light at the end of the tunnel).

Second, and more importantly, plan hikes for the time in the academic calendar that best suits your mood. Reading weeks, or in the UK at least, a few days after exams are perfect for long-distance trails.

Finally, a ten-minute stroll in nature, even when hurried between lectures, can lead to a useful mental refresh. 

Gear on a student budget

The only cost of hitting the trail is the perceived cost of hiking gear. No one wants to buy specialised equipment to “try out” a sport, and day hiking gear can be expensive. But you don’t need to buy anything fancy to get started, and you certainly don’t need expensive gear for a few hours on the trail in good weather.

A good pair of sturdy trainers, comfortable clothes and a pack to carry water and snacks often does the job, and many university outdoor clubs either rent gear or run gear swaps so that students can dip their toe into hiking for a day or two without breaking the bank.

For those interested in purchasing hiking gear, end-of-season sales and second-hand stores are great places to look for deals.

The environmental connection

As a hobby, hiking is the most common stress-relieving activity for many students, especially those pursuing subjects such as environmental sciences and similar fields. And for a good reason – witnessing in person the plants and animals of a woodland ecosystem or that of a mountainous landscape are a tangible experience of concepts learnt from textbooks.

Such a connection with nature can also lead to a stronger sense of environmental stewardship. After all, kids who spend time outside on a regular basis tend to feel a deeper sense of personal responsibility for conserving their natural surroundings. An afternoon of playing outside, while enjoyable in itself, suddenly takes on extra meaning.

Trails as inspiration

But aside from the immediate benefits to mind and body, life on the trails can also be a source of inspiration for academic endeavours; an English literature student might find echoes of Wordsworth in the hills of the Lake District, and a geology student might gain new insights from the rocks of the Jurassic Coast.

Students report that ideas or solutions often flow most freely either while on a hike, or in the day or two afterwards, when their minds are fully relaxed and focused. This experience highlights the advantage of pausing between strenuous study sessions to let the mind, like the legs, to wander, freely.

Conclusion: A path to well-being

As universities struggle to develop strategies to support student mental health, nature and outdoor activity must surely play a part. The network of trails that criss-cross the UK can be seen not just for their beauty or historical interest, but more importantly as an essential release valve for the pressures of student life. 

Higher-education institutions can motivate their students to make better use of these God-given resources, and in doing so, collectively move towards a more holistic education system: one that values not just the mind, but also the body, the psyche, and connection with nature. 

In other words, the ultimate way to cope with academic stress might just be a literal one: a walk around some of the UK’s most varied and beautiful countryside. For students who are willing to put one foot in front of the other, the trail beckons not just as an escape from the stressed-out hubbub of university life, but also as a journey into better health, a clearer mind, and a wider perspective on the world beyond the lecture hall, and beyond the screen.

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