The Best Staycations to Get Your Wellbeing Fix in 2022

By Anya Cooklin-Lofting

As the ashes of New Year’s fireworks settle and the Christmas ornaments are wrapped in their ancient papers and stored, from the glittery haze of Betwixtmas emerges a singular sensation, a paradoxical cocktail of both gloominess and determination. Yes, it’s still cold, and no, crisps and wine probably aren’t an acceptable mid-afternoon snack, and yet, the sense of a new beginning is enough to lift us from our spiced, mulled slumber with startling enthusiasm. It’s time, once again, to focus on what our bodies and minds truly need over and above the obligatory festive indulgences.

It is well known that gyms experience peak sign-up rates in January and that these first few weeks of the year see us reaching for rice cakes instead of the leftover Christmas cake, but our New Year’s resolutions can often leave us feeling less resolved and more reluctant. Wellbeing isn’t just for January, so why not follow my lead and plot some wellness highlights into 2022 with staycations to help you reset, refresh and recharge? Whether you’re after a fitness kick, a soothing spa weekend or the peace and quiet that distance and space can bring, read on…

Lake District – Walking & Fitness

The Lake District is one of the walking capitals of the world, perfect for getting away from the bustle of the city and reconnecting with the natural world. With a bottle of water and an apple in tow, I have found myself feeling refreshed, active and satisfied, hillside, lakeside and fireside on trips to the storied land of poets, writers and artists. Its bucolic cosiness is unrivalled in the UK, and the rush of following a map and reaching a peak, pit or pitstop on a track unfailingly brings a sense of achievement to my annual leave.

The Lake District’s towns and villages are tucked into crevices between the still bodies of water that lap at their shores and are dotted with tearooms and pubs that crop up exactly when you will them to after a bracing walk through rolling countryside. The choice of walks is almost overwhelming in these parts, but the walk from the Honister Pass to Haystacks, one of A. Wainright’s favourite fells, is one I’ll certainly be revisiting.

Bath – Wellness & Water

Bath is a hugely popular spa town with hot springs that were known to inhabitants as early as 60 AD when the Romans built temples and baths along the River Avon. Since this time, the town has become something of a site of pilgrimage for those seeking the curative properties of water and was cemented as a wellness destination by the Georgians. For a restorative break steeped in heritage and rich in culture, Bath offers a peek behind the veil of history as well as a modern homage to the Romans’ innovation.

The Roman Baths themselves are no longer fit for their original purpose, but visitors are welcome to explore the pools, the hallowed springs from which over a million litres of naturally heated water gushes every day and the remains of saunas and changing rooms. With a sense of the history of the therapeutic, healing waters, visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site can make the one minute commute to Thermae Bath Spa on Hot Bath Street to take the waters themselves. The modern complex has views across the hodge-podge of the city’s golden, Bath Stone skyline, the perfect reminder that these waters are as rich in history as they are in health-giving minerals.

Isle of Skye – Distance & Solitude

For an enchanting, memorable and restful break, why not look to find peace and quiet on The Isle of Skye, a remote island connected to Scotland’s northwest coast by the Skye Bridge? The rugged landscape is encrusted with Medieval ruins and laden with stories of fairies, giants and Selkies, ‘seal folk’ that shed their skins and turn into humans. The island’s scenic hiking opportunities abound with routes via the Fairy Pools of glass-like water and the Old Man of Storr, an imposing rock formation that serves as a landmark for miles and resembles the face of an old man.

Soothing for the eyes and the mind alike, lucky visitors to the Isle of Skye over the winter months can see the Aurora Borealis Northern Lights. The lights generally appear white to the eye at this latitude but are no less magnificent than imagination might prophesy. The dancing sheets of spectral light are most visible in wide, open areas making evening hikes all the more magical.

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Top 5 Scenic Train Routes

By Anya Cooklin-Lofting

It is rare these days to stumble upon moments devoid of the need for distraction. Podcasts and music streaming services deliver almost constant scores over which to perform our daily tasks and we have windows to the Universe tucked into our pockets for easy-access escapism. Life under lockdown was particularly screen-centric, so to make up for lost time, I have begun chasing down moments to live in, distraction-free. Keeping my phone in my handbag at dinner with family and friends has been a great place to start, as has been removing my headphones on my morning jogs to hear the birds and the rustle of the wind in the leaves.

Confident in the knowledge that watching the world go by in real-time brings balance, a sense of peace and an earthly pace to each day, I began to wonder how best to sit back and focus on the world around me. It became very apparent that travel, and being in transit more specifically, offers the perfect environment in which to do that. While flying gives you awe-inspiring views across whole countries and cloudscapes, there is something far more human, more intimate, about train travel. Tracking the shifting landscapes as they modulate like stage sets reveals a world of bucolic splendour, glistening, glass cities, coastlines battered by relentless tides and valleys clad with thick forests. Unlocking your phone as you snake along a track that hugs the undulations of a crumbling coastline or as you pass over a soaring viaduct feels positively criminal.

So, today, I’ll be rounding up five of the most scenic train trips around the world. Prepare for rugged mountainous landscapes, endless seascapes of aquamarine and epic architecture to give your next adventure a hit of Golden Age grandeur.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

What better train trip to start with than the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a Belmond train that breathes life into stories of spies and detectives set onboard its illustrious carriages. The most popular route on this storied train begins in London, arriving in Verona or Venice, although Prague, Vienna, Paris and Budapest also benefit from its 5-star services. Guests travel in one of six private suites each named after some of Europe’s most historic cities, paying homage to the train’s journeys through the very veins connecting Europe’s cultural capitals. In this case, of course, the interior might be just as alluring as the exterior views, but when it comes to simply luxuriating in your surroundings, either will do nicely.

California Zephyr

A tasting menu of the delights of American variety, the California Zephyr takes passengers from Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville California via showstopping sights including the Rocky Mountains, the fiercely red, sculptural plains of Utah, the Sierra Nevada, the Donner Pass and San Francisco Bay. Travellers have the option to visit the Sightseer Lounge complete with broad, tall windows and comfortable, window-facing seating for optimal views. Beware, though – the lounge seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis and it fills up quickly.

The TranzAlpine

New Zealand is something of a lodestone for adventure-seeking, global travellers with a love of the great outdoors. Although much Kiwi travel makes best use of its slick domestic flight network, the TranzAlpine express train route is one of very few in existence. Whisking passengers from the bustling city of Christchurch to the historic, West Coast town of Greymouth, the journey hugs the Waimakariri River, negotiates the Southern Alps and offers striking views across miles of beech forests.

The Mandovi Express

Your 12-hour journey on board the Mandovi Express leaves from the Victorian spectacle of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, an Italian Gothic-style station designed by architectural engineer, Frederick William Stevens. Weaving its way down the Konkan Coast flanked by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, the train crosses over 2,000 bridges, passes coconut groves and reveals the lush plains of the West Coast’s countryside. Passengers are free to await their arrival in Madgaon from their seats or from the pantry car, watching the cooks conjure a heady mix of traditional cuisine including thalis, biryanis and dals.

The Trans-Siberian Railway

Russia is certainly a country of extremes and its Trans-Siberian Express is no exception. The longest railway line in the world, the Trans-Siberian Express connects Europe’s largest city, Moscow, to Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean, across almost 10,000 kilometres. For over 100 years the railway has connected the two cities, but plans are now in place to extend the line to Mongolia, China and North Korea. The current route takes passengers over the Ural Mountains, across the sprawling Steppe and offers views of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest, oldest and largest freshwater lake.

Sweet Dreams: The Power of a Good Night’s Sleep

By Amira Hashish

As we kick off the year our minds are abuzz with what lies ahead and the goals we hope to achieve. Coupled with the cold days and dark nights of winter and the tyranny of getting back on that treadmill, it’s little wonder that insomnia has a tendency to rear its ugly head during these months. The weight of the pandemic adds an extra layer of discomfort.

The power of sleep is not to be underestimated. It is a vital ingredient of our physical and mental health. Leading medical spa Lanserhof, which has retreats in Austria and Germany, takes sleep very seriously, explaining it is essential for tissue repair, cell regeneration, the immune system and memory functioning. “When people are sleep deprived or develop a persistent sleep disorder, the consequences include loss of energy, drowsiness, impaired concentration or memory and disturbed mood. Inadequate sleep has been associated with increased risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes and the risk of developing anxiety or depression,” say the experts.

Getting a good night’s rest is easier said than done but there are ways you can improve your cycle. Here are some essential steps.

Let There Be Light

The more sunlight the merrier. When our bodies release the happiness hormone serotonin there is a direct correlation with the elimination of stress. Several studies associate low levels of vitamin D in your blood leading to a higher risk of sleep disturbances and reduced sleep duration.

Natural and artificial light absorption helps your body to stay more alert during the day whilst increasing the quality of your sleep in the evenings. Small changes can help; try to go for a walk outside during your lunch break or use a lamp with a daylight bulb at your desk. Use natural sunlight to wake up where possible or a device that simulates this.

Dr Victoria Revell, a senior lecturer in translational sleep and circadian physiology, outlines the significance of our circadian rhythms: “The duration, timing and quality of our sleep are determined by two different processes – our sleep homeostat and our circadian clock. The sleep homeostat acts like a timer with sleepiness accumulating during the day the longer we are awake. The circadian clock drives 24-hour rhythms in nearly all aspects of our physiology and behaviour, including our sleep-wake patterns, and determines the timing of our sleep. Light is the most powerful stimulus for synchronising our circadian clock to the 24-hour day.”

Adapt Your Diet

A varied diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy is ideal. Avoid caffeine, fizzy drinks and alcohol from late afternoon. You may also consider introducing a supplement which includes melatonin (a man-made version of the hormone that controls your sleep patterns) such as Lanserhof’s Beauty Sleep.

Consider CBD

Wellness brand RAIN harnesses the power of the botanical world to help people find calm and balance. CBD is a key ingredient. According to RAIN: “The boom in popularity for CBD stems from both scientific research and substantial anecdotal and experiential reporting to suggest that it has beneficial effects in helping to alleviate anxiety and stress, reducing inflammation, as well as improving mood and sleep.”

Establish a Routine

Eye health specialist and ophthalmologist Alastair Lockwood at Feel Good Contacts encourages consistency with your patterns: “No matter what time you go to bed, wake up at the same time every day as much as possible. Having a consistent bedtime will help you to sleep better because your body will start to get tired on cue. After a while of doing this you might find that you naturally wake up just before your alarm. Even if you don’t always manage to stick to your routine, the more you can do it, the better.”

Get Moving

As well as helping to reduce anxiety, which can impact the ability to nod off, exercise can cause changes in your core body temperature. According to the Sleep Foundation: “During exercise your body increases its temperature, and afterwards your body’s temperature drops. That drop in temperature mimics a similar temperature change that happens before you fall asleep, when your body cools down in the evening in preparation for rest. The similarity between these changes may signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep.”

Stop Scrolling

It is all too tempting to check those emails or see who’s doing what on Instagram just as we should be winding down but the issue isn’t just that you are keeping your mind active. Our screens emit a type of blue light which keeps us awake and boosts reaction times by suppressing the release of melatonin. Your body’s natural circadian rhythm is disrupted and you are tricked into thinking it is still daytime. So it’s a big no go for electronic devices, including the television, at least half an hour before bedtime.

Set the Bedroom Tone

A clutter-free space with a soothing smell and cool temperature (apparently 18C is spot on) can work wonders. Add an excellent mattress and pillow to the mix. Bed manufacturer Hypnos emphasises that choosing the right fillings in your bed and bedding can help regulate your body’s temperature to keep your cooler at night. Natural, sustainable fibres promote healthy air flow and wick away moisture, helping achieve that good night’s rest.

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