There is no other trail like this in Israel

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What does a person do when they don’t connect to nature but still want to gain the benefits it provides, such as tranquillity and vitality? So, now it’s easy! Come to the Soulane at Ramat Hanadiv, a new trail with eight stations offering light independent activity that encourages investigation, thinking and connection.

You’ve probably already heard that walking and spending time in nature are good for the health of the body and soul. This has even been proven scientifically, and the best thing is that everyone can do it, because it doesn’t require special equipment and it’s free. But we know that not everyone feels calm and relaxed in nature, and some people find it challenging to spend time outside. In recent years we at Ramat Hanadiv have focused on the connection between nature and good health. Every week Ramat Hanadiv hosts outside classes in Pilates and tai chi, we set up a silent space, and from time to time we host forest bathing sessions.

Recently we dedicated a new concept trail called ‘The Soulane’ to explain what it is in nature that causes us to feel better. The trail is 3 km long and is part of the red trail in the park. Along this trail, eight stations offer simple activities that invite those walking it (alone or with family/friends) to dedicate some time to self-investigation.

The stations aim to illustrate the benefits that nature can give us. In other words, the idea is to take hikers ‘by the hand’ to give them a clue, idea or more structured framework regarding the beneficial effect of nature on our mind and feelings.

Recently we dedicated a new concept trail called ‘The Soulane’ to explain what it is in nature that causes us to feel better

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At Ramat Hanadiv, we believe it is important to connect humans and nature, but we are aware of the growing gap between them. Once we were used to being outside and it was easy and natural, but with time we close ourselves in more between walls and screens, and nature is less available and accessible to us. Distancing ourselves from nature has an effect on our health, and this year we also have the extra mountains of stress due to the war. ‘We decided to encourage people to go out for walks in nature, and not just tell them that we have a park that they can spend time in. Of course, this is a lot, but some people have trouble making the move to take themselves for a walk outside’, says Naomi Apel, Chief Strategy and Programs Officer at Ramat Hanadiv. This is how the idea was born to build a trail that encourages self-investigation in nature. The staff at Ramat Hanadiv began setting it up with the aim of getting people to look inside and outside themselves to see the beneficial connections between them and better understand what it is in nature that does us good.

‘We realized that we want to add content to the trail and market it as quickly as possible’, says Gome Sheffer, Head of the Education Department at Ramat Hanadiv. ‘After choosing the idea for the trail we found many possible answers to the question “What part of nature does me good?” from which we chose eight answers that make up the stations along the trail, a different answer at each station’, relates Gome, adding that the answers give expression to more emotional aspects.

We decided to encourage people to go out for walks in nature, and not just tell them that we have a park that they can spend time in

Behind the scenes of nature

Since this is an independent trail, each station has an explanatory sign about a short activity. For example, the wellbeing station offers a short breathing exercise; the station on wonder and amazement about nature invites visitors to a sensory experience, and another station offers visitors to go for a quiet walk. There is also a trail library (Soulane Books), that encourages inspiration through children’s and adults’ books on this topic. Other stains give something to think about or encourage introspection, while others encourage play – through outside games from the olden days or wooden blocks on an iron ‘tree trunk’ that must be spun to choose the values that provide a personal support system during hard times. We must always remember that there is no single correct answer to the question ‘What in nature does me good?’; the stations do not try to give absolute answers, but rather offer a range of possible answers.

‘Before installing the signs we ran a visitor survey and another one was run after opening the trail’, another stage mentioned by Sheffer in the work process on the trail.

The survey data is being analysed currently to estimate the trail’s contribution, and where we need to improve, but the feedback we’re receiving is positive. ‘We received responses that the idea and execution are great and the trail conveys the message’, says Sheffer. He states that there is no other trail like this in Israel. ‘There are trails compatible with these ideas, but they don’t focus on the question the way we do through interactive experiences with the visitors’, he says, and summarises: ‘It kind of exposes the behind the scenes of nature and its impact on us’.

But enough reading about it, come to visit our trail, follow the purple butterfly logo and find out for yourselves!