Scott’s feelings about the landscape may have been shaped by the Romantic movement, but they were also practical and intuitive. He knew that to live well, and to safeguard mental and physical wellbeing, a person needs to be able to access and enjoy the natural world. The benefits of physical activity and open air, and the opportunities for conversation, companionship and creativity that such outdoor activities presented, were all championed by Scott two hundred years before they found their way into the health and social policy so topical today. We are still following his example!
After contracting polio as an infant, Scott lived the rest of his life with a visible physical disability, but it was never permitted to define him. His life at times was far from easy, and he weathered the stings of bereavement, financial hardship, depression and ill health with an indomitable spirit sustained by walking his woodlands and caring for his trees. Scott is one of very few nineteenth-century figures to talk candidly about their mental health issues a coping mechanisms in his private journal, a remarkable window on his inner world and his innate nobility, morality and quiet heroism. Reading this journal, so much of his inner turmoil seems starkly relevant to some of the greatest debates of our time: debates about health, happiness and the need to preserve and protect the natural world.
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