“It is crucial that as a species we maintain as much contact with green spaces and the natural environment as we can, for hundreds of reasons to do with our biology and psychology…”
Vbarr Cregan-Reid, author of Primate Change
One way of categorising special places and spaces is by colour – green space (countryside), blue space (lakes, sea, rivers and the sky), and yellow space (sand).
One might add the following categories:
White space – snow, clouds, carpets of snowdrops
Pink space – Spring blossom
Mauve space – lavender fields, heather moorlands and bluebell woods
Red/orange space – Autumn colours, as the green chlorophyll in leaves begins to break down during colder and shorter days, revealing different pigments (reds, oranges and yellows). Also, sunsets and sunrises.
Dark space – the night sky. In fact, of the 13 International Dark Sky Reserves in the world, the UK has four – the Brecon Beacons, Exmoor, Snowdonia and the South Downs National Parks, and that Tomintoul and Glenlivet in Cairngorms National Park has been designated one of only 63 Dark Skies Parks in the world.
It’s great if you can experience as much of the colour spectrum offered to us by nature. There’s plenty of research that demonstrates the immense benefit to our wellbeing through appreciation of all the hues that natural offers us. Green space is especially good for our wellbeing, and spending time by water makes us feel refreshed. Sunrises, sunsets and night skies full of stars are awe-inspiring. Motivation to get up earlier and go to bed later, perhaps?