When you move to university, a massive change takes place. Friends drift away, family are on the end of a phone instead of the dinner table, and you’ve landed in a whole new city. For some of us, a whole new country. It can be disconnecting, confusing, and challenging in different ways for everyone. One of the best ways to find some sense of comfort and continuity in your new university life is to get outside, touch some grass, and look at the same sky as your family back home. However, finding nature in a city is a challenge in itself.
This article is here to help you connect, get outdoors, and enjoy the comfort and connection of nature despite the motorways, tarmac, and puddles of piss that we are so encircled by as students.
When I moved to Stirling from my very small and remote Scottish village, I found some aspects utterly magical. What do you mean I can get a pizza delivered to my front door? And if I run out of milk, I don’t have to do a 35-mile round trip to get to Tesco’s? It was truthfully, embarrassingly exciting. I can’t confess how frequently we get a Chinese takeaway now.
The joy of this urban way of living began to wear off when I tried to go for an exploration along a seemingly countryside path and ended up in a retail park. Or, on an attempt to climb a hill I’d spotted in the distance, I found myself crossing motorways where I had half-expected a tranquil river. It started to eat away at me: the constant noise of far-off traffic, the thump of a club next door, the lack of green space on my day-to-day city centre to university campus commute.
We’re very lucky, here in Stirling, to have a gorgeous campus, perfect for walking, running, and cycling, but as soon as I lived in the middle of town, it was harder and harder to enjoy what was previously on my doorstep. When living on the campus the woodlands and hills were right there, and before that was the wild, rolling, mountainous hills and lochs of rural Scotland. Stepping outside into a puddle of someone or something’s urine, trying to (unsuccessfully) convince yourself that it’s spilt water, really destroys the wilderness and connection with nature that I have taken for granted in the past
And with that, I have been inspired to explore ways to access the outdoor world, as a full-time student, without having to a) drive (it’s too expensive, and why are the tests so hard?), b) get public transport out of the city (who has the time for that right now?), or c) exert extreme physical energy (I don’t like it when my legs hurt, why do people cycle up hills?). Read on for Braw’s advice on how to be in nature as a student in the city.
Braw’s Comprehensive Guide to Urban Nature
Go for a Stomp
Okay, we’re not starting off creatively, but we are starting reliably. Get some solid shoes on and just walk. You do not need a map, you do not need hiking poles, you don’t even need hiking boots. You just need to explore: get in the mindset of adventure and go to places you haven’t been before – just make sure that they’re safe areas! Once you’re out and about, you’ve got the chance to try out the following ideas…
Bird Seed in Your Pocket
Take a little bag of birdseed on your stomp and scatter it around the greener areas of your city. I’ve seen a few folks doing this on their walks, and it always brings a smile to my face to see the local birds flock to the seed. This is especially rewarding in winter when food resources are more limited for the birds. There’s nothing cuter than a wee fluffy robin.
Learn Your Birdcalls
If you don’t fancy a pocket full of birdseed, then it can be equally connecting with nature to learn your birdcalls. Apps such as Merlin are great for this, as they listen to the bird call and report back to you. Merlin also has a photo element to help with your identification skills. Knowing what is around you, who you can hear, and why you can hear them is a rewarding and especially effective way to feel more in touch with the world around you. Also, birdcalls are such a lovely sound: it’s always worth taking your headphones off even if you’re not sure who you can hear.
Level Up your ID Skills
Speaking of identification skills, picking up an ID guide and learning about what may be present in and around your city makes for a wonderful, educational, and fascinating way to understand and get involved with the nature around you. There may not be as many grasses, flowers, and plants as in the countryside, but that shouldn’t stop you. Moss, lichens, and trees are everpresent in every city, so why not learn the Latin and English names for them? It makes for a brilliant party trick, knowing all your mosses, and let’s be honest: who doesn’t like moss? The Collins Complete Guide to British Wildlife ID book is a great place to start for beginners, with a huge range of categories and an easy-to-understand layout, and it won’t cost you the world.
Find a Solid, Reliable Tree, and Claim It!
If walking isn’t your forte, then do not panic: you don’t have to be on the move to connect with nature. Find your favourite tree in a nearby park, there will be one, and settle in. You’re looking for a solid tree, with somewhere to rest your back or your head against, with a good view of the park…or the moss. Tree hugging is made fun of, but sometimes sitting against a good, solid tree is a wonderful way to recharge, connect, relax, and feel some rare sunshine on your face. Whilst you’re there, you can try and identify the tree, making a friend in the process.
Supermarket Picnic
Picnic. It’s a classic. Pop to the shop, get some chips and dips, take an old blanket with you, and snack away somewhere under the sky. Best enjoyed with good company, however, sometimes the best company is yourself. Find somewhere to feel a slight breeze, the wind is a great and marvelous part of nature, look at the sky, and feel the grass, all from the comfort of a bag of carrot sticks (or Doritos, we’re not here to judge). Just remember: Leave no trace!
Bugs in the Gravestones
Here’s a fun wee fact: old gravestones are home to many bugs! They create a unique habitat, especially for ladybirds. Go to the churchyard and have a respectful and reflective wander around the old graves: see if you can find any critters taking refuge there.
Bat Detectors
Heterodyne bat detectors can detect the echolocation calls of bats as they’re out hunting. Bats are certainly not limited to the countryside: Bats are, actually, all-around (the more interesting sequel to Love Actually). Many communities have bat walking groups, who will provide equipment allowing you to listen in to the bats, people with the knowledge to identify the bats, and a wonderful way to connect with both urban nature and your community. You can find so much bat-related information on the Bat Conservation Trust webpage, or by looking up bat-related events on Eventbrite. Follow this link to find your local (Scottish) bat group.
Beach/River Bank Combing
If you’re a student somewhere more coastal than us here in Stirling (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Dundee, I’m looking at you), then don’t waste the opportunity to go beach combing. Walk along the tide line or the edge of the surf, and see what you can spot. In locations such as Aberdeen, keep an eye out for wee seal pups (although don’t worry about them, they are often left by their mothers for a few hours). You’ll find sea glass, shells, fish, starfish, and other treasures if you’re lucky. Sea air is the best thing for the soul.
Build a Nature Journal
After all of this, it’ll be an overload of natural connection. Keeping a nature journal is a wonderful way to remember and truly connect with what you have experienced in your urban adventures. Write down one species per day, be it a pigeon, moss, or oak tree, sketch a little drawing, and Google some facts about it to add. As you go, you’ll build a brilliant bank of the elements of nature in your city, with a unique and creative twist.
Got All That? Good…
There’s no excuses now. Nature will outlive us, after all, and it was here first. So let’s respect it, connect with it, learn about it, and enjoy it. Understanding and connecting with nature is the first step towards protecting our precious environment, so go forth, city student, and reconnect with nature.
You can read more of Braw’s nature writing here.
Featured Image Credit: Alice Pollard
Journalism student at the University of Stirling & BRAW Magazine editor 24/25 and 25/26 🙂
You can see my portfolio here: https://www.clippings.me/alicepollard
