The Yours Members site has all the latest from the magazine, including celebrity interviews like this chat with TV presenter Julia Bradbury, 63, on how walking has supported her wellbeing since receiving a diagnosis for breast cancer – and why we should all be getting outdoors.
We’ve often seen her walking on TV programmes such as Countryfile, but immersing herself in nature has be- come even more important since her diagnosis with breast cancer, two years ago. She calls her daily stomps in her local London park her “therapy” and credits walking with help- ing her cope in the aftermath of surgery, as well as previous struggles with endometriosis, four rounds of IVF and miscarriages.
“Walking is a pillar of my health,” says Julia, 53, whose new book, Walk Yourself Happy (Pi- atkus), gives an insight into the benefits of being outdoors. “My real obsession is walking in nature, using its healing powers to strengthen my body and soothe my mind.”
Over her years presenting on TV, Julia has shared beautiful walks everywhere from Iceland to the Lake District, but rewind two years and just a “shuffle” round the garden was a real- istic target. That’s because in July 2021, a routine breast check revealed a 6cm tumour in her left breast. After receiving the devastating diagnosis, she was told she needed a mas- tectomy and felt understandably “bereft”.
“I didn’t know what to do with my feelings of uncontrollable sadness,” recalls Julia. “I tried not to show my children my fear; telling them ‘Mummy has cancer’ is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. When I left hospital [after a mastectomy] I promised myself I would get outside every single day of my life from then. A cancer diagnosis does that to you. Every precious moment is amplified.”
To read more from this interview, visit our Members-only website.
Julia Bradbury on her love of nature
For TV presenter Julia Bradbury, nature has always been a huge part of her life.
"My love of nature is something I’ve shared with my own family when I was growing up. From a very young age my dad would be walking with me in the Derbyshire dales and camping was a natural extension of that," Julia explains.
Julia has been an outdoor enthusiast since she was a small child, inspired by her dad’s passion for walking. “I was striding out on big, long walks with Dad in the Peak District when I was about 11. I am thankful to him every day for introducing me to it as it's such a great joy in my life. If I am feeling crowded in by anything or have a problem, I will always go for a walk. It invigorates me and makes me feel better. When I come back, I can tackle the issue with a healthier mind.”
But it was by chance that she ended up becoming the poster girl for rambling – Britain’s favourite pastime. A producer asked her if she was interested in walking as he was researching a series re-tracing Alfred Wainwright’s famous walks in the Lake District. "I was very enthusiastic but no one knew that it would suddenly mushroom from nothing.”
Her first series Wainwright Walks was such a huge hit, that it has since spawned numerous walking programmes such as Britain’s Best Walks and seen her exploring landscapes all over the world.
She reveals that her all-time favourite location was in Iceland’s most famous hiking route, a trail which ends at the huge volcanic crater at the centre of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier.
Laughing she says: “I even learnt how to pronounce the name. The walk was the toughest of my life and when I was being helicoptered to the top of the crater there was a real sense of danger.”
Julia's health battles
Julia says that as a mother of three young children, Zephyr and twins Xanthe and Zena, she is even more aware of her health these days.
In 2019, she had a triple hernia yet recovered extraordinarily quickly and put it down to her healthy lifestyle.
“I’m not unduly cautious but I keep on top of it with ‘MOT’ checks. I certainly don’t feel my age at all,” she says.
More recently, she's been in the news after sharing that she has been battling breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She shared the news on her Instagram account, saying:
I'm out of surgery. These will be my new companions for the coming weeks & months. I need a drain to channel surplus blood from the surgery & I have to wear a special post- breast surgery/mastectomy designed bra for the next 6 weeks to protect my upper body post-op. (This one is by @theyahealthcare - made of bamboo fibres). * The marks on my chest are markers for my surgeon to follow during the op.
I've now joined a sadly ever- growing club. Around 18,000 mastectomies are performed on the NHS in England every year. That's up 50% in the past 10 years. (Roughly 100,000 women have a mastectomy in the U.S. every year.) Since the 90's breast carcinoma in situ (the type of cancer I was diagnosed with) has tripled in women & doubled in men.
One person every 10 minutes gets diagnosed with breast cancer.
I feel relief that the operation is over. The anxiety leading up to it was overwhelming. I feel sad that such a brutal treatment is necessary in so many breast cancer cases, but I choose life. I will do anything I can to live to see my children grow up & if this was happening to any other member of my family, or them, I would swap places in a heartbeat.
I will follow Walt Whitman's advice: "Keep your face always toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you."
To all you warrior women (& men) out there, I send my love. I'll hold a little of my strength to get through the next few weeks & months. Namaste. The sacred in me recognizes the sacred in you. 🙏🏽❤️'
Julia on exercise and wellbeing
Julia has been using her local park for her daily exercise during the pandemic, posting live walking therapy sessions with her friend, psychotherapist Jonathan Hoban on her website theoutdoorguide.co.uk and he is featured in her new series.
She says: “After the pandemic, I think there will be an explosion of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety but there will also be a huge backlog for professional help. We are going to have to do a lot of self-care but nature is one tool that we can all use."
Keeping to a structured routine at her west London home has kept her strong during the last year.
“I have increased my exercise to at least five times a week; cycling, walking and I do yoga almost every day. And I do my chanting – affirming positive thoughts.”
She adds: “When the pandemic first started I was frightened, I’ve got children, older parents, friends with health problems, but I found having a timetable and ticking off lists helped. It’s good to stick to a routine for your kids.
“There have been so many fun, family times in the last few months. There have been days I haven’t even got out of my pyjamas! We’ve been watching movies together and we get down to their level and play with them to make up for the lack of playtime activity with their peers.
“Overall, I’m incredibly lucky. We have a garden and space in our house. I talk to my parents all the time and I get cuddles from the kids every day. We have managed. But I haven’t been out and I haven’t seen my friends socially. Like everyone, I can’t wait until I can hug them and my family again!”
Julia Bradbury on camping
Camping is now something Julia does with ten-year-old son Zephyr and six-year-old twin daughters, Xanthe and Zena. "What we love about camping is intense family time and it gives real freedom to spend time in the outdoors with family and friends, creating great memories and activities. It is a real bonding time, as quite quickly roles develop wherever you are – who is going to be in charge of setting up the tent, who is in charge of cooking or bedding.
Because you can navigate in different ways to how you would perhaps at home, you have a completely different experience to a more traditional bricks and mortar holiday. There’s a real freedom, you can unzip the tent door in the morning and be whoever you want to be – it’s the best of both worlds."
Julia's favourite trip was one just last week at Drayton Forest in Staffordshire as part of her work as President of The Camping and Caravanning Club.
"It has to be one of the best weeks we’ve ever had. We’ve enjoyed forest bathing, climbing trees, meeting first-time campers, playing rounders and having a go at archery. It’s a really well-organised campsite with amazing facilities but also with lots of green space around us. The event was aimed at first-time campers and we had such fun. One family had six-year-old triplets who had a whale of a time!"
Julia's top tips for going camping
"These are my top camping hacks that everyone, especially those new to camping, can adopt to make their trip run more smoothly with their families."
1. Dress appropriately
It’s really important to be dressed for all weathers as it’s likely you’ll encounter rain, sun and cold all in one trip with the inclement British weather! Literally four seasons in one day. Think about a lightweight, quick-dry, waterproof jacket, T-shirts, fleeces and extra layers and socks for chilly nights. Cosy pjs and flip flops for the shower are good as trainers can get a bit soggy. I always have a set of waterproof and wellies for my kids so we can just strip them off and keep dry underneath.
2. Choose the right kit for you
When it comes to camping kit, make sure you buy something that suits your needs in terms of space but also technical know-how. If you can, have a practise in the garden before you go to make sure everything works and no bits are missing. Also, get the family and kids involved with different tasks – even the washing up! My kids love the cooking side as well. When we were camping at Drayton Forest my sister was there and she set up the most amazing camp kitchen for us all which was brilliant.
3. Taking the hassle out of camping
If you’d rather have everything ready for you, The Camping and Caravanning Club has its ‘Ready Camp’ safari-style tents around its campsite network where everything is provided for you except bedding and towels.
4. Bring some snacks
Make sure you have your basic food – cereal, some croissants, and lots of snacks to keep you going when you set up.
5. Try camping at home
And if you can’t get away, don’t forget you can camp anywhere – in the kitchen, living room or garden! In the past I’ve done some amazing stunts to raise awareness, camping on a barge or on top of the O2, but the most fun I have is at home with the kids in the back garden.
Cornwall And Devon Walks With Julia Bradbury
Despite the tight coronavirus restrictions, Julia was determined to bring some of the UK’s most beautiful places to life for viewers during the gloomy days of January in a glorious celebration of nature.
“It has been fantastic to get a series out at this time when it is most needed. It’s very positive in its outlook, is beautiful to watch and features such invigorating walks. I have to admit that walking has kept me sane during the Covid-19 crisis. I know many people have keyed into the importance of green spaces and how therapeutic they are for us. We have realised that is what we need in our lives.”
“We filmed between lockdowns when TV programming was allowed but most of the filming was done outside which was incredibly helpful.”
Julia started out from Land’s End with a clifftop walk from Porthcurno to Sennen Cove and in later episodes her adventures include walking the dramatic Atlantic Highway and a culinary rendezvous with Jack Stein, the chef son of restaurateur Rick Stein.
She says: “This series was such a joy to make because along the way I also got to interview people who care passionately about the countryside, our food and nature. I discovered that people who live by the sea, and in coastal environments, are healthier and sleep better. There are such positive effects on wellbeing that it's called the Blue Gym effect."
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