Ray Mears: We have forgotten how to 'be outdoors'

Ray Mears has taken aim at the fashionable practices of “forest bathing” and “wild swimming”, suggesting that we have forgotten how to enjoy simply going for a walk.

The bushcraft expert, presenter and author has written a new book We Are Nature, which advises readers on reconnecting with the wild.

He said: “The publisher wanted me to write about rewilding the landscape, but I feel we need to rewild people. We live in this very strange world now, of ‘forest bathing’ and ‘wild swimming’ - but for me it’s just walking, being outdoors. And we’ve forgotten how to do that.”

Wild swimming - in rivers, lakes or the sea - has become an increasingly popular pastime in recent years. Forest bathing is a Japanese concept promoted by the National Trust, amongst others, as “the practice of slowing down and immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere”.

Speaking to this week’s Radio Times, Mears encouraged people to get outside and interact with nature, rather than watching nature programmes on TV.

“For a lot of people these days, nature is something that’s seen solely through the television screen. And I get bored when I watch wildlife programmes,” he said.

“Well, I like creating them. And I appreciate the work that goes into them, and the unique view of things that the average person will never see in the flesh. But what’s missing is the breeze on your face, smelling the air, feeling things with your hands - the ambience and excitement of actually being there.”

Interacting with nature does not have to mean hunting snow leopards in the Himalayas, Mears said, but “can be simply seeing a spotted flycatcher bird among the clematis in your garden or the park”.

One chapter in his book is devoted to the greatest dangers to be encountered in the natural world, including bears and venomous snakes. But Mears said: “Honestly, the biggest danger is just sitting in your armchair and missing out on it all.”