‘You can let everything go’: At 58, Mel Giedroyc loves a walking holiday – here‘s how to maximise the benefits

After six years of watching Mel Giedroyc host a show about cakes, you might not think of the comedian as a superb source of wellbeing inspiration. But at 58, Mel has a great approach to health that we can all learn from – and it comes down to three key pillars.

The first is getting plenty of sleep. Just like Anna Maxwell Martin, another British icon of the screen who loves to be in bed by 9pm, Mel Giedroyc really values good-quality sleep – which becomes all the more important as we age. She’s previously revealed that ‘tiredness’ is the one thing that really brings down her mood, telling The Independent: ‘I’m somebody who needs to sleep. If I’m short of kip, things tend to spiral quite badly.’

This is in sharp contrast to the approach of Mel’s previous co-host Sue Perkins, who’s struggled with insomnia and shared that she tends to only get around four hours of sleep a night.

Mel’s second rule of wellbeing is getting in plenty of swimming time. She’s a noted fan of the exercise, having previously sung the praises of ‘the big open-air swimming pool filled with seawater’ in Clevedon. Speaking on the How To Fail podcast, Mel told Elizabeth Day she particularly loves cold-water swimming, commenting: ‘I love swimming. I do find that really good, because it resets things, doesn’t it?’

And the final pillar of Mel’s approach to health? Walking. Mel revealed that she and her husband, the director and former teacher Ben Morris, are huge fans of a walking holiday – and that the simple act of walking has been an immensely helpful way for Mel to work through her grief following the loss of her mum.

‘I found walking really good,’ shared Mel. ‘A big turnaround was actually doing a week. Me and my husband love a bit of a walking holiday – middle-aged alert! We did a lovely walk and I did a lot of blubbing and laughing and chatting and walking. It’s just that movement, isn’t it? You can let everything go. I found that really good and really useful.’

Mel is spot on about walking’s physical and mental benefits. We all know about the health perks of the gentler form of cardio – it’s no surprise that everyone from Felicity Kendal to Helen Skelton recommends upping your step count – but walking’s impact on mental wellbeing is backed by science, too. Studies have found that regular walking can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety, even a 10-minute walk can reduce stress, and walking outside in nature poses a further mental health boost.

Dr Cassidy Jenkins, a clinical psychologist for WalkFit, is a big backer of walking in general (as you’d expect), but especially the notion of a walking holiday to sort out your mental state. Noting that there’s been a real rise in people seeking out these types of retreats, Dr Jenkins said: ‘People are searching for walking holidays because they instinctively know sitting on a beach isn’t going to fix how they feel. There’s a difference between rest and recovery, and a lot of burnout doesn’t respond to rest alone.’

‘Long walks put you in a steady, rhythmic state that lowers cortisol in a way that scrolling on a sunlounger doesn’t,’ she continued. ‘Add in sea air and a change of environment, and you’re giving your nervous system something it can’t get from a normal weekend off.’

For anyone considering a walking holiday, Dr Jenkins suggests a few key principles:

• Aim to walk for at least an hour per day, as this can help to restore attention and reduce stress hormones over time
• Choose coastal or nature routes over urban ones – greenery and open horizons measurably reduce stress markers faster than built-up environments
• Leave phones behind or on airplane mode for the walk itself – the mental switch-off is as important as the physical activity
• Don’t over-plan the itinerary – unstructured time is part of what allows the nervous system to start to desensitise
• Expect to feel restless on the first day or two before the benefits kick in – this is normal and part of the process

Anyone else craving a trip to a forest with a good pair of hiking boots?