Why Scotland’s hills are the place to cure your soul

Spending time in the hills is good for mind, body and soul, particularly in the worst of times, says Cameron Mcneish

It was the late Chris Brasher who came up with the title of my autobiography. We had travelled from the Cairngorms to Punchestown Races near Dublin to see one of his racehorses run, a journey we undertook by helicopter so there was considerable expense involved. We sat in the stand alongside the Irish punters expecting great things of Chris’ horse, when disaster struck. The horse fell at the first hurdle, dismounting his jockey, and was last see running off in the direction of County Kildare.

I immediately turned to Chris with thoughts of commiseration but he simply gave a wan smile and said: “Never mind, there’s always the hills.” Those words came back to me some years later on the morning after the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014.

I had wakened early to the news that the people of Scotland had voted against independence and I felt crushed and dismayed. After years of campaigning, building up hopes for a fairer society, I don’t think I’d ever experienced such bitter political disappointment. I went back to bed to try and sort my head out. I knew I could do one of two things. I could be angry and bitter and allow the result to affect my mood for days to come or I could resolve to accept the decision and get on with my life. It was as I lay there, trying desperately to pull myself together, that I recalled those words of Chris Brasher.

It’s a simple notion, but I sense there’s something deeper than mere escapism in the idea of returning to the comforting bosom of Mother Nature. For as long as I can remember, that has been my panacea for times of disappointment or grief. The hills have always been my salvation. Today political events move so fast, and often in the strangest ways, that it’s very easy to feel alienated and ultimately stressed. We become aware that other people govern and control large portions of our lives, and some of these people (usually remote politicians) make decisions that directly affect us, whether we like it or not.

Many of the daily schedules that we adhere to are not of our own making, but are imposed on us by others. But more people are realising they can escape the constant barrage of negative news and ease themselves into the hills where they can connect with their timelessness, immerse themselves in their beauty and majesty and wonder again at the contrasting insignificance of man.

Even going for a short walk is good for you. Research suggests that the mental demands of making muscles function actually stimulates your brain, blood vessels and denser nerve connections with the effect that the simple act of walking actually keeps your brain in shape – and a healthy, welltuned brain helps you deal with the complexities of life that often result in unacceptable high levels of stress.

I’m often asked just what it is that attracts me to the mountains, particularly in winter; what is it that draws me from my comfortable home into the cold, potentially dangerous world of rugged winter landscapes? Most people live in a permanent regime of nineto-five repetitiveness with only weekends and an annual holiday to break the monotony. It’s perhaps not surprising that an increasing number of us attempt to escape the regularity of it all to find respite in a landscape that has a more lasting reality.

I fully accept our winter