ABSTRACT
Much of this book has been written or edited at our house in Wales, literally 100 yards or so south of the River Dyfi, which itself forms the southern border of the Snowdonia National Park. On numerous occasions when we have become too tired or too stressed to write anymore, we have thrown our walking boots into the back of the car and headed north to one of our favourite mountains for an afternoon of brisk physical exercise and mental relaxation. We have agonized over arguments and examples and even planned out chapter introductions like this one while clambering up the side of mountains like Cadair Idris and Rhinog Fawr, with nothing but a handful of birds for company. The national park system in England and Wales was at its origin based largely on the need for exercise and aimed to provide breathing space for people who spent most of their lives crowded into factories and cities.The link between physical exercise, mental well-being and exhilarating scenery has been recognized for centuries but it is only in the last 10 to 20 years that it has started to be codified by quantitative research and a precise terminology.
