Location, location…

When discussing walking as a leisure pursuit this is often linked to the benefits of spending time in nature. How trees have relaxing properties or how rejuvenating a breath of fresh sea air can be. I am also guilty of this, the lead image on this site was taken during a woodland walk but what happens if you don’t happen to live near an area of outstanding natural beauty?

When deciding on a name for this blog I did wonder about Happy Hikes or Relaxing Rambles (yes I love a bit of alliteration) however both of these words are linked to walking in the countryside and I’m keen to promote the benefits of walking anywhere – by the sea, in the countryside, through a forest or even in suburban or urban areas.

Urban walks are not going to be as pretty as a country hike but there are several advantages. First and foremost there is the ease of access, you don’t have to worry about catching a bus or train to reach the start of the trail just open the door and away you go. You’ll also have more even surfaces as you’ll likely be walking on pavements rather than scrabbling over fields or leaves.

If you’re walking though a town or city you may still enjoy some greenery if you go through a park or garden however if you take a wrong turning it will be far simpler to get back on track. There will be more people about to ask for directions, there’ll be road names and your GPS is more likely to be able to find you then it is if you’re deep in the forest.

Another benefit to city walking is you don’t have to worry so much about packing the essentials. If you forget to take water with you then you’ll probably find a shop or water fountain. If you realise you’ve overdone it then you can easily find some public transport to take you home or somewhere to sit down and refuel before you head back.

However I think the greatest benefit to city walking is that it a great way to get to know an area. Even if it’s somewhere you think you know well, you are bound to spot something new when you walk. In fact I only recently discovered there is a skate park only a couple of minutes from our house and we’ve lived here 14 years! Actually it was thanks to a walk that I knew this was the house for us…

We were renting a flat in the town centre and we had assumed we would buy something similar. However when looking around we discovered that if we broadened our search out from the town centre and included more suburban areas we could afford a small house. We had an offer accepted on a lovely house and practically I knew it made sense. It was a short walk to the train station which made it ideal for commuting and for getting into town. However I was concerned that the area was too suburban, were we risking cutting ourselves off?

One day I happened to have a day off without too many things that I was meant to be doing so I decided to walk from the flat we were renting to the house we were buying. Along the way I made several reassuring discoveries, firstly the walk was shorter than google had estimated. I think it has improved since then but at the time google mostly gave directions based on car journeys and wasn’t able to recommend any shortcuts. On my walk I discovered a cut-through which shaved about 10 minutes off the journey-time. I made some other practical discoveries as well however what really swung it for me was when I turned the corner and walked into a beautiful park.

Some green space had been marked on google so I was expecting something but it could have just been a sports field, however I was delighted to discover a park with an area of woodland, a large pond, plenty of wildlife and even a little scented garden. If we went ahead with the purchase of the house, this park would be within 10 minutes walk from our new home. I suddenly felt a lot happier about our decision to move.

I appreciate that my example of the benefits of an urban walk, ended with me saying I’m glad I live within walking distance of green space which makes me sound somewhat hypocritical! Hopefully I haven’t completely undermined my original point, which is that suburban strolls can still be soothing. There are a lot of practical benefits, they still allow you time to think and you never know what you might find. Just because I found a park, you might find a new cafe, pub, shop or piece of artwork that you didn’t know was on your doorstep. You won’t know, if you don’t go.

That’s how I stroll.