Welcome to these special snack sized episodes of the D Tour, designed to help you make the most from being outdoors.

In this episode Harriet reflects on how the outdoors speaks through sound, scent, and touch, from the rustle of leaves to the smell of wild chamomile.

She’s joined by Pix Ashworth from Land & Water, who shares how scent directly connects to memory, and Gordon Malcolm from Dementia Adventure offers practical suggestions for incorporating sensory joy into any picnic, such as creating herb and flower tables.

The D Tour Snack Size is proudly sponsored by Right At Home

Right at Home, is committed to helping people live independently and happily in their own homes and communities - making them the ideal partner for this celebration of nature, community, and connection.

Hello and welcome to the D-Tour Snack Size Podcast brought to you with love and support from our brilliant friends at Right At Home. I'm Harriet Thomas and last year I did something a bit wild and adventurous for a 61 year old.

Along the way I met some incredible people and had the chance to share stories, swap experiences and learn more about how being outdoors can really lift your spirits, especially if you're living with dementia or supporting someone who is.

I'm also a singer and songwriter, so you might hear a few musical threads running through these episodes too. These little episodes are a way to pass that all on. Think of them as a flask of tea and a piece of cake on a picnic blanket.

Short, sweet and full of the good stuff.

Whether you're planning your own big green picnic or just looking for simple ways to connect with nature and to each other, I hope this gives you a few ideas and sparks some lovely moments. Our sponsor, Right At Home, is committed to helping people live independently and happily in their own homes and communities, making them the ideal partner for this celebration of nature, community and connection. So grab a cuppa, settle in and let's discover together how small moments outdoors can make a big difference.

This is day one of my land's End to John o' Groat's trip, and I'm so blessed to have the most gorgeous weather for walking in. I'm walking along a beautiful path between Sennen and St Just and there are flowers everywhere, heather, dandelions, bracken.

And so the air is kind of. It smells just faintly scented. It's so delicious scented with all of these beautiful wildflowers and with a tang of salt.

And that beautiful scent is being brought to me on this lovely warm breeze.

One of the smells that really stuck with me during the walk was chamomile. I found some growing wild on a path and it instantly took me back to walking with my mum when I was about 7.

She picked it, made tea from it that evening and said it would help me sleep well. It's amazing how smells do that. Bring back the whole feeling of a moment.

Here's Pix Ashworth explaining how scent works differently to our other senses.

Of the five senses, it's the one, I think it bypasses the.

You know, when you smell, it's the one sense that bypasses the thalamus and it goes straight to your amygdala, which is the most reptilian part of your brain, right. And of course, is responsible for emotion rather than fact or logic. And so you get hit by this wave of emotion before you can process it.

You can't tag the aroma as such until the other sort of processes have happened. And so it goes straight to the amygdala and. And it's the only sense that does that.

On my walk, I became incredibly aware of how rich and varied our sensory experiences outdoors truly are. Whether it was the peaceful, calming sound of leaves rustling gently in the breeze or the distinctive uplifting scent of wildflowers on a warm day, I noticed how these experiences lifted my mood and made every moment memorable. It's amazing how even subtle sensory cues like these can ground us, calm us and spark joyful conversations.

There was the one day I sat by a river in the Yorkshire Dales and the water sounded like the sea.

So I'm literally sitting on a beautiful flat rock, and this river sounds beautiful. It's got all sorts of levels of sound, so it's got the sort of whoosh, whooshy kind of major sound, dominant sound.

And then just every now and again you hear a blub blub Which is where it must be going around a rock or something and creating little pools.

So many tiny waves. Just closing my eyes and listening made me feel deeply at peace. And you know what? Those little sensory moments really stick with you.

They can completely change how a person feels in a space. That's why I love what Gordon from Dementia Adventure suggests. Here, some really simple ideas to build that sensory magic into your picnic.

When planning your picnic, simple sensory experiences can transform the day for everyone attending, especially guests who may find communication challenging or who simply need a gentle way to connect with nature.

Consider setting up a sensory table filled with fragrant herbs like lavender, mint, rosemary, or even a bowl of different leaves, pine cones, petals, or other natural materials. Encourage guests to touch, smell, and talk about their memories associated with these objects or sensations.

Another lovely idea is creating a gentle sound corner, a quiet, cosy space with a speaker softly playing nature sounds like birdsong or waves or a babbling brook. These sounds can be very calming, help reduce anxiety, and help everyone feel more connected with the natural world.

You could also encourage guests to try a tactile art project, like a simple collage using leaves, petals, twigs, or even try sun prints that guests can take home. Activities like these can spark wonderful memories, joy, and conversations at your picnic.

What I've learned is that it doesn't take much to make something feel special. A smell that brings back a memory. The sound of the wind through the trees or a patch of sunlight on your back.

Whether your picnic is big or small, don't underestimate those quiet sensory moments. They're a way in to connection, to calm and to joy.

Thanks so much for joining me. Next time, we'll be talking about food.The comfort of favourite flavours and the joy of eating together outdoors. And if you'd like to hear more from the original D Tour podcast, just head to dtour.uk that's D T O U R dot UK.