A dose of fresh air and culture can really do wonders for blowing away the Covid-19 cobwebs

I know many aren’t in such a privileged position, writes Jenny Eclair, but don’t we all need a break from this?

The Hepworth Wakefield (Getty)

Being a firm believer in the Samuel Johnson “Tired of London, tired of life” quote, I never thought I’d ever hear myself say that my love affair with London was on the rocks. However, Covid-19 has diminished my beloved capital city into a dreary shadow of her former showy off self and sometimes its unbearable to see her looking so friendless and dowdy. 

Of course there are perks to an empty city – parking in town has become possible for the first time in more than 20 years, but the sight of all the vacant shops and dark theatre spaces is unbearably depressing. Walking through Covent Garden feels like being in the opening sequence of one of those horrible movies that I avoid watching in the cinema, never mind wanting to experience in real life. 

So last weekend we swapped southeast London for somewhere 200 miles away. The Calder Valley, in West Yorkshire, is a place I’d never really heard of, although I’d seen its dramatic landscapes on Happy Valley, the TV drama with Sarah Lancashire that we all went bonkers over a few of years ago.