As we approach the first anniversary of lockdown 1.0, it’s hard to imagine that it’s just 12 months since the first news of Covid 19 started to filter over from China. That news changed life the way we know it, and those changes have not been easy for many people.
Thankfully, there are still many things we are allowed to do under government regulations, and for many other things we once considered part of everyday life, people have come up with inventive solutions. Here are five things you can do in Otley to take your mind off the pandemic.
Take a digital exercise class
There are many reasons to keep fit during the pandemic. All signs seem to show that being overweight may be a risk factor for covid complications, so it’s worth trying to burn off more calories where you can. But exercise is also know to help produce feelgood endorphin hormones. One of the plus points of the pandemic is that there are now more ways to exercise under the tutelage of professionals while remaining in your front room – which means some of the reasons for avoiding the gym, such as being too shy, now dissipate. Join any one of a number of exercise/fitness classes via platforms such as Zoom – and simply switch off your camera if you don’t want to be seen. Otley gym Club Energy offers regular classes to members and provides occasional classes on its Facebook page. Elsewhere, you can take part in yoga with the like of Soma Welness, while down the road in real terms but accessible online anywhere, Endure Nutrition, Health & Fitness offer Insanity Live group exercise classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings for just £3 per class.
Follow one of our walking trails
If you live in Otley, there’s still plenty of scope for discovering the town and its surrounds. Head off to the Chevin, Wharfemeadows Park or Gallows Hill nature reserve to indulge in a bit of forest bathing, or jump on one of the town’s four main walking trails by downloading and printing your own maps here while the council offices are closed and officially printed versions are unavailable. For those who don’t live in Otley but would like to know more about what we have to offer ahead of a visit when things open up, that same link has those same four trails in Google Earth version so you can cast an eye around the town from the comfort of your own armchair. The trails are: Otley History Trail, Otley Family Riverside Trail, Otley Unique Shopping Trail and the Best of Otley Trail.
See https://www.visitotley.co.uk/digital-otley-walking-trails/
Join an online singing session
Singing’s another great endorphin booster, with research finding that people feel more positive actively singing than they do after passively listening to music or after chatting about positive life events. Say hello then to Otley’s Woolpack Studios where owners Richard and Jen offer a whole host of regular classes from sessions with the Otley Ukulele Orchestra to a weekly choir class. Our favourite is the monthly ‘recreate a classic album’ session. Sign up for £10 per family, get a printable songbook with all the chords and lyrics, have a practice beforehand and then join in on the night. Albums featured so far include Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, while David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is up next at the end of February.
See https://woolpackstudios.co.uk/online/
Get on your bike
This year’s Tour de Yorkshire may have been cancelled, but cycle town Otley is still the gateway to some of the best cycling the country has to offer, whether you are on mountain or road bike. The benefits are, of course, the same as other exercise – plenty of fresh air and a great endorphin rush. In our cycling section we have links to a number of great routes that will provide a challenge for all ages and abilities, as well as links to cycle-friendly business, many of which are still open for you to grab a coffee and cake, or pick up some new kit from the superb Chevin Cycles.
Shop Otley’s best goods
Otley is known for its independent shops, from artisan bakers and chocolatiers to one of the best model shops in the country. Essential shops are, of course, open and many are now offering a local delivery option – check out, for instance, the Shop Otley site where five of our best-loved businesses have collaborated to offer a single point of purchase and next-day home delivery. Of those that remain closed to the general public, a great number will be happy to post goods out to their clients. See our sister site Buy In Otley for more information and a full list of Otley businesses.