Winter Walks are about the only thing we’re allowed to do right now, but don’t worry if you don’t feel like braving the cold, this calming and comforting watch is almost as good as the real thing. It’s the opposite of Netflix’s high-octane thrill-fests, and it’s exactly what we need to get us through these cold climes.
This self-care-in-a-series is from BBC Four, and takes us on a gentle march through some of Britain’s loveliest landscapes, in the calming company of Rev. Richard Coles, Selina Scott, Simon Armitage and Lemn Sissay. With them we trudge through the Yorkshire and Cumbria, in what might be described as the adults version of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
And it’s equally as joyous as the childhood tale. There’s no loud and lairy orchestral accompaniment, just bird song, crunching leaves, and babbling brooks, all breathing life into those sometimes-harsh winter wanders.
Each episode is half an hour of peace and quietude, proving you don’t need to make like an influencer and jet off to Dubai for a restoring break, and in fact, beautiful vistas can be found right here in these green and pleasant lands.
The series went down brilliantly with The Times’ James Jackson, who gave it a full five stars, and calls it “soothing, transportative viewing,” saying that after watching “you could only conclude that there should be one of these every night — as mandatory viewing — until this bleak midwinter lockdown is over.” And The Guardian’s Rachel Cooke agrees, saying that “in its simplicity, there is a kind of abundance. In its gentleness, there is a certain intimacy.”
So, when you grow tired of your Bridgerton binge, why not watch a Winter Walk or two?
First shown January 2021.
