As my first post was about why I had decided to start blogging, it makes sense for this post to try and explain why I love walking. Although that is the aim of the blog overall so if I answer it in one post then this has been a short-lived experiment!

Perhaps I should say that this post will introduce my love of walking which we can then explore further in later posts.

While there are a lot of blogs, articles and even festivals dedicated to walking, it seems to me that the majority of them still focus on the physical benefits of walking as a form of exercise. When people find out I love to walk they’ll typically comment on the fact I must easily do 10,000 steps a day or ask me how many miles I generally cover. I’m then met with looks of confusion when I reply that I don’t keep track of those things as that is not why I like to walk. Yes it is good exercise but I do other activities to keep fit, for me, walking is a chance to be alone with my thoughts.

That sounds far more lofty than it actually is. I’m not for one moment claiming that by going for a walk instead of hopping on a bus that you will suddenly discover the meaning of life. However as adults it seems most of our time is spent doing things we need to do: working, commuting, shopping, cleaning, cooking etc etc It’s no wonder that when we do get some free-time we like to escape into other worlds with a book or a film and often the only time we get to think about things is as we’re trying to go to sleep.

If I’m walking a familiar route, such as the one I do during my commute to the office, then that’s 30 minutes where I don’t have to think about what I’m doing & I can simply let my mind wander. Often it will be banal “what’s for dinner tonight / what are we doing this weekend?” sometimes it will be useful, for example I might fathom a way to solve a problem at work or figure out what today’s wordle could be. Other times it will be random musings – why don’t people use the word agog anymore? In fact I’m agog that no one says agog.

The point is not what you think about while walking but just that going for a stroll gives you time to be you & not worry about anyone else for a bit. And that’s something we all need from time to time.

Also I’m sure you’ll be relieved to hear that I have managed to come up with a natty little sign-off. Are you ready for this? Brace yourselves…

That’s how I stroll.

_{Image at the top of the page was sourced from UnSplash}

• The year of the stroll…
• Yew Year Stroll
• The best laid plans…
• Hiding in plain sight
• Holiday Strolls