This week’s walk to the office was perfectly timed as it started just as an extremely heavy downpour was ending. I did catch the tail-end of the rain though which got me thinking about the advantages of not being just a fair-weather walker.

Admittedly when you first start walking, or any other outdoor pursuit I assume, you are really only going to be tempted out when the weather is good. Which is fine to begin with but if, like me, you live in merry old England, you are going to have to get used to walking in all weathers or else you’d better find another way to unwind as there will be more bad weather days than good ones.

At this stage it would be tempting to quote the old adage of: there is no bad weather, only bad clothing but let’s face it even the best protective gear won’t help if you try to go for a walk during a hurricane. Still there is a lot to be said for a walk on a rainy day so grab your waterproofs & let’s go for a soggy stroll.

To start with if you’re doing a city-centre walk in the rain then you’ll probably be sharing the space with fewer people and the ones you do see you’ll share a sense of camaraderie with, an; ‘ah yes we are hardy souls’ moment as you smile & nod at one another.

Also with your hood pulled up, you feel safely cocooned away from the rest of the world. Hmm this statement coming after my comment about seeing less people out & about makes me sound like a misanthrope. Which is probably not far from the truth but perhaps I should try and sound positive without insulting the general public. How about the fact that with the gentle pitter patter of rain hitting your hood you’ll soon be humming Bacharach’s classic: “Raindrops keep falling on my head”. That’s bound to make you smile.

Writing this reminds me of the panicked look my Grandma would get if we suggested going out when it was raining: “You can’t go now, you’ll get wet!” Perhaps she thought we were descended from the Wicked Witch of the West, but once you have done a few wet weather walks you’ll soon realise that you are not going to dissolve and that if you get wet, you will eventually get dry again.

Once you get used to this idea then I urge you to try a wet woodland walk as there is something magical about strolling though a forest in the rain. Perhaps it’s the sense of gratitude to the trees for providing shelter and turning a downpour into a mild trickle. It could also be the change in colours the moisture brings to the forest or the gentle sound of the rain hitting the ground.

Although really I think the best part about walking through a wet wood is the delightful squelching sounds your wellies make as they go in and out of mud. I don’t care how sensible, sombre or sincere you are the rest of the time, when you hear that squelch you’ll regress to being a 6 year old giggling at the farty sounds your feet are making. Thoughts of cleaning the boots and drying off are put on hold as you enjoy a silly, soggy, squelch through the mud.