It is the mental health salve that many Scots have turned to during the pandemic.

With increased numbers of people suffering with anxiety, stress and depression, nature has offered solace to those struggling through the crisis.

And as we head into this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, it is the beauty of our natural surroundings that will take centre stage.

In a new report, Nature: Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, the Mental Health Foundation Scotland will call on the Scottish Government to introduce a Green Spaces Strategy to guarantee safe and accessible green spaces for all.

The call is backed by a new survey which shows that while nearly two thirds of adults in Scotland say being close to nature improves their mood, one in ten find it difficult to access.

Almost half (45%) also said they are not connecting with nature often enough to help their mental health.

Lee Knifton, national director of Mental Health Foundation Scotland, said: “Connecting with nature is good for our mental health as it helps reduce feelings of worry, anxiety and stress. In turn, it boosts positive emotions such as joy and calmness.

“That’s why we’re encouraging people this Mental Health Awareness Week to connect with nature in a way that feels good to them, whether that’s going for a walk in the park, looking after a houseplant, outdoor swimming, or bagging a Munro.

“The most important thing in terms of boosting our wellbeing is the quality of the experience and how we absorb the benefit by taking in the sights, sounds and scents of our surroundings.

“Many people may assume that because we live in Scotland with a wealth of beautiful natural spaces to enjoy, that we can all get into nature when we need to.

“However, this is not the case with one in 10 adults in Scotland finding it difficult to access nature.

“That’s why we need the Scottish Government to produce a national Green Spaces Strategy and for each local authority to produce its own local strategy to ensure that everyone can avail of the mental health benefits of connecting with nature.

“This includes protecting and enhancing green spaces in urban areas, ensuring all new housing developments include high quality green space, and expanding outdoor learning opportunities for children to increase levels of wellbeing and good mental health.”

The survey found that 65% of adults in Scotland say that being close to nature improves their mood and 60% say being in nature has led them to experience positive emotions such as calm, wonder and joy.

However more than one in 10 adults in Scotland (11%) found it fairly or very difficult to access nature when they wanted to and almost one third of them (32%) spent less than three hours in nature per week, with 11% spending up to one hour or less.

Almost one quarter of women in Scotland (22%) said that not feeling physically safe had hindered them from enjoying nature, compared to 6% of men.

The survey comes as Loch Lomond and Trossachs revealed stories of visitors coming to the beauty spot for various activities to help with their wellbeing, with open water swimming, hillwalking and camping all proving popular.

Regular visitor Danielle McGinlay, from West Dunbartonshire, told how cold water therapy at the loch has helped to get her through the last year.

The 30-year-old experienced mental health difficulties during 2020 and tried out the activity in the hope of finding some help.

She said: “I had never done anything like cold water therapy before but I have found something that really works for me. Being in the cold water surrounded by nature eliminates any anxious thoughts or worries reducing tension and stress on the mind and body. The tranquillity of the Loch allows my mind to be completely still and enjoy the present moment.”

Another visitor, Lorna Kerr, told how she rediscovered her love of the outdoors after being invited to climb Ben Lomond with a friend during a particularly tough time in her life.

The 41-year-old, from West Lothian, said: “I didn’t start hillwalking for my mental health but the more I did it, the more it helped. I felt a sense of purpose, a connection to nature and to the friends I was doing it with.

“Hiking is still my main activity but I love all sorts of adventures now, including camping, cold water swimming and paddle boarding. I just love being outside and I feel like it’s a gift I am giving my daughter too.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government has recognised the many benefits of contact with nature and exercise outdoors for physical and mental health and wellbeing, and supported efforts to help people experience these. Reflecting the importance of the fundamental relationship between physical and mental health, the Covid-19: Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan, published in October 2020, includes action to build on the positive sport and physical activity behaviour changes we have seen during the pandemic.”