Does a 4wd get you closer to nature?

[didiman]

Hi
I was wondering whether driving a 4 wheel drive in the countryside makes you feel closer to nature. I must admit that when I used to get out, driving either for fun or for work, I enjoyed the feeling it gave me and I certainly appreciated the environment and noticed what was going on around me.

I'm doing a pilot study for my degree about what is termed Nature Relatedness and I'm trying to get people's opinions so I can include them in the report and what you say will help to shape the way the study goes forward. 

Here's the blurb if you can fill out the survey I'd appreciate it and if you're interested I'll send you a summary of what I found out.

Do vegetarians differ significantly to carnivores in how they feel about nature, do BMX enthusiasts get the same things from being in the environment as naturalists, and does a Snowboarder feel the same way as someone who’s into surfing!

Recent studies in psychology show that spending time in nature is good for mental health as well as physical health, simply looking at pictures of the environment has been shown to change peoples behaviour . 

So if looking at pictures, of trees say, can influence people to be more generous I wonder if there are different things that people get from the ‘natural’ environment.

I’m posting this as I think this is something that may interest people. I’m carrying out a pilot study for my BSc that takes around 3-4 minutes to complete online and I’ll let anyone who’s interested know what I found out at the end http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Closeness_to_Nature

It’s a matter of clicking choices there is no writing or hard thinking questions

[Disco Matt]

I'd say it does. See, my approach to laning generally involves leaping out to take photos of impressive bits of scenery on a regular basis, and you definitely notice the effects of weather on the landscape (the socking great washouts left by heavy rain during the alleged summers of the past couple of years, for example). If you're planning to drive Strata Florida then you need to be able to read the weather, for example - if it's pelting down then it's probably not a good idea to start now, and also it's a good idea to leave it for a day or two after heavy rain to give the river levels a chance to drop.

What I suspect you will find is that 4x4 enthusiasts do appreciate nature but aren't sentimental about it, and realise that it's a living landscape.

[didiman]

I'd say it does. See, my approach to laning generally involves leaping out to take photos of impressive bits of scenery on a regular basis, and you definitely notice the effects of weather on the landscape (the socking great washouts left by heavy rain during the alleged summers of the past couple of years, for example). If you're planning to drive Strata Florida then you need to be able to read the weather, for example - if it's pelting down then it's probably not a good idea to start now, and also it's a good idea to leave it for a day or two after heavy rain to give the river levels a chance to drop.

What I suspect you will find is that 4x4 enthusiasts do appreciate nature but aren't sentimental about it, and realise that it's a living landscape.

I appreciate the point,although I must point out my survey has nothing to do with sentiment, there is no moral judgement or angle, all views are equal. As I've found out so far, what one persons closeness to nature is can be completely different anothers  for some of us its simply some pot plants for others its a massive wilderness.

The current theory would say that simply going into nature and having a positive experience means that you should feel closer to it. Therefore in theory a vegetarian who lives in a city and gets little contact should be less connected than a confirmed fieldsportsman who 'blasts bunnies' every weekend.

Again in theory we should all be connected with it as its in our own best interests. What they call the biophila hypothesis if I remember correctly.

[lambert]

as a farmer i need both nature and 4x4's to get on with my life, an abscence of either makes the job impossible. without nature i would have to work in a call centre and drive a eurobox. without a 4x4 i would not be able to maintain the countryside that townies love to visit so much, nor could i sympathetically produce the meat they love to eat. in this job if you are not working closely with nature and it's rythms, then you are fighting a loosing battle against an enemy you will never defeat.

[Mangaroth]

Survey taken.


Im sure there are many people who drive a 4x4 and "feel closer to nature", as im sure that many people who go "camping" in a caravan also feel the same way.

Whats more important is that more people should "respect" the countryside, as many 4x4 enthusiasts do, probably more so than said "campers".

I live in a city, but try to escape from it as often as possible, im only a 10 minute drive from some of Leicestershires beautiful countryside and enjoy it. This was the main reason for buying a 4x4 for me. As others have said, laning is a great way to explore some of the beauty this country has to offer, and so long as we all have "respect" for it, it will be here for a long time yet.

(not sure that ive managed to get across my point, but hey.)

Jay

[robkav]

I allways feel closer to nature when i'm lying under my car and covered in wet mud  :lol:

[kevinragman]

 :lol: :lol:

[andyhubbard]

Well said Mangaroth and Lambert, what i would say is you have both sides of the story put in a simple and honest manner. :)

[carbore]

Hello, I think the answer to the main question depends on the individual. Some 4x4 purchases were in the "aspirational product" wherbey we buy things that reflect the lifestyle we WANT to lead, no the one we do. Hence urban 4x4 owners who dreamed of kite surfing/rock climbing/country ramble weekends etc and their 4x4 was a psychological "link" to that activity.

This is no different to those who ware ultra performance snow boarding jackets down the pub, or have divers watches that only ever see the washing up bowl . Obviously other purchases are simple practical considerations.

My main interest for this type of work is the difference in attitudes between those living in the Countryside and those living in the City. I work in London but live on a farm in Cornwall (Cos there is no jobs in Cornwall for the likes of me!). I notice that the attitudes of my colleagues in London to the countryside and environment is different (and that reported in the London media is VERY different) to that of rural people and rural media.

National TV is (in my mind) HIGHLY responsible for this. Rural lifestyles are portrayed as idyllic where as city is all "hard luck, no opportunity" Look at how rural people are portrayed in TV (Think Vicar of Dibley, Doc Martin, Green Green Grass) we are allays either Rich&Posh or Backward Bumpkins. Even rural programs such as Countryfile and My Dream Farm, River Cottage. Show an idylic myth. No farmers committing suicide, battling regulation and having armies of people telling them what to NOT do,  its all "Donwsizing to the countryside" (And living off that 2m capital form 10 years in the city). I get people asking Where the nearest tube is and what bus route am I on!

Quick rant,

 

[didiman]

Wow! really impressed with what people have said so far. Probably the best thought out comments as well. I don't know if I'm allowed to say this although I can't see that it's biasing anyone, I'm just so fed up with wading through comments about 'crapping in the woods' being as close to nature as they get.

Its also great that people other than ecologists and biologists are doing the survey (not that I'm ungrateful to them) and commenting as well. Although the results will be adjusted to filter that out the more people who aren't from the an 'interested' area the more informative the picture we'll get.

I think its a really interesting although broad ranging topic and could go in so many different directions. As was mentioned the rose tinted view of the countryside as being not the way its represented needs to be addressed.

This is purely a personal reflection but as the economy changes to a more fluid and abstract form, the countryside as a physical space is being utilised for more things  in the imagination, a place to fight battles (paintballing) with colleagues and team building or to jump over on BMX bikes etc. I am guessing, but I imagine that there is some sort of battle for posession/'ownership' of the natural environment/the countryside. Is it simply about following the money, agriculture is now coming back due to higher crop prices so maybe there's more of a clash.

[Disco Matt]

I'm just so fed up with wading through comments about 'crapping in the woods' being as close to nature as they get.

I didn't know bears could use the internet now?  :lol:

I think the "battle for possession" has been going on for centuries. IIRC the writer of one of the first guidebooks climbed at night because the hills belonged to various landowners and he recognised that they would be within their rights to kick him off their land? The concept of rights of way to which all have access regardless of whose land they cross is comparatively recent.

I would be interested to see some consideration of the way in which the media report stories relating to countryside access. For example, why is a story about stone being helicoptered onto Snowdon to repair eroded footpaths given a positive spin, when it's costing a fortune and demonstrating that there are simply too many walkers using the mountain? Equally, why do some local rags print photos of water damage (or even worse, tyre marks that clearly came from a tractor) and claim it was caused by recreational 4x4 users? If we get a mention it's invariably negative - nothing about the volunteer groups who give up their time and diesel in order to help repair a right of way so that all can use it, or the charity fundraising carried out by numerous 4x4 clubs. We were lucky to get a grudging mention for fishing the clueless out of ditches during the snow last month!

[didiman]

[/quote]I think the "battle for possession" has been going on for centuries. IIRC the writer of one of the first guidebooks climbed at night because the hills belonged to various landowners and he recognised that they would be within their rights to kick him off their land? The concept of rights of way to which all have access regardless of whose land they cross is comparatively recent.[/quote]

Town versus country is a very old debate, I suppose its just constantlty a changing the battleground with technology and its increasing the pace of change adding another edge. Does it make it freer or does it exclude.

As much as being in nature can be said to help us psychologically, I certainly find it does, there is a lot of isolation.

[didiman]

Just to say thanks to those who took part in the survey, I'll collect the results at the end of the week (23/04/2010) but should anyone wish to fill it out please do as further work on the area will carry on in the future and the more who participate the more accurate the results.

If anyone wants to find out more about it then I'll gladly send a summary of the results to anyone who's interested hopefully I'll find out something interesting.
 
Also I'd like to say thank you for volunteering for this and I value your contributions, as far as I know nobody has done these aspects as a study so far so it will be contributing to something worthwhile rather than just another student report.

As I am conducting the study I have had to limit my comments to generalities to minimize bias but I would like to thank all those who have made an effort to make a contribution to the discussion and time permiting I'd like to make more posts on my own and other peoples topics.

I would like to say on a personal note that as a former landrover driver that my own experience, using my vehicle both recreationally and for work, was a positive and as this got me out and about in 'nature' first of all and in areas I would have been unable to get to otherwise due to limitations of time distance etc. I felt that dealing with diffficult conditions forced me to focus more and gain a different understanding than I would have otherwise got through other means. Traveling through a landscape by different means for me has always provided different perspectives, riding a horse gives a completely different experience to cycling or walking.

[POTASH]

mine does when im underneath it and ants are crawling over me :'(

[Mangaroth]

Just to say thanks to those who took part in the survey,

If anyone wants to find out more about it then I'll gladly send a summary of the results to anyone who's interested hopefully I'll find out something interesting.
 

your welcome and i would be grateful for the summary of results.

Thanks Jay

[Discopoo]

I did when a tree came throgh my screen ?