Hello there, fellow strollers. Last week I was away from home attending a conference and while I didn’t have a huge amount of free time, I did still manage to include a stroll around the host city. However while that may form a post on another occasion my reason for reaching for the laptop today is to tippy-type about my journey.

I live on the south-east coast of England and the conference was over on the south-west. This involved a train journey via London, arriving into Victoria and then out from Paddington. If you look on the Trainline or Google maps then they will tell you that in order to complete this journey it is necessary to go underground, or you could get a bus. If you want to cycle or, heaven forbid, walk in between stations then you need to make an extra effort to find the information. The details are not as readily availble as if you take the tube or the bus. We are all being told that we need to strive to reduce our carbon footprint and all ‘do out bit’ but why is the default instruction to still use public transport? Ok yes this is still better than using a car to transfer between stations but the cynical side of me can’t help thinking that we are still encouraged to use the bus, tube or even a water taxi as this appears to be ‘green’ while still producing an income for the powers that be.

However if we move away from the belief that time is always of the essence then perhaps we would realise that the fastest option is not always the best. Thankfully I have learnt to ignore the route the websites recommend and to look for myself. Rather than following the masses onto the circle line, I headed for the exit and marched off to Hyde Park. After spending 90 minutes sitting on a train, I was glad to stretch my legs, get the blood-pumping and to let my mind wander. To make it even better the majority of my route was through the park, surrounded by trees, listening to the parakeets and being surprised at just how big the geese are.

Of course my mood was different on the journey to the conference then it was on the way home. On the return journey I was tired after all the sessions and talks, I was keen to get home and there was a moment when I found myself dragging my tired feet through the park, wondering if this was the best decision. Once I thought about it, I realised that even though I was weary this was still the best way to complete my journey. My complaint was that my feet were tired, well would using the underground have saved them? I don’t think so. On leaving Paddington I would have had to wind my way down the escalators and wander in circles to find the platform. Given it was 5pm, I doubt there would have been any seats available so I would have ended up standing in someone’s armpit, maintaining a tense stance as I avoid ending up in someone’s lap as the train jolts to a stop. Then arriving at Victoria I would have marched around until I found the escalators up to the main concourse, inevitably having to wait for a member of staff to check my ticket as it fails to go through the barrier. Then the final march across the concourse to my platform in the teens. After all that would my feet feel any less tired than they did after my stroll though the park? I doubt it. However I’d have felt a lot more tense after a journey squashed in with other commuters rather than a walk though the park spotting parakeets.

While I admire the work of Slow Ways and other wesbites encouraging people to use walking as an alternative form of tranport, I do think it’s a shame that the bigger webistes keep it as a buried option, still defaulting to the fastest, more congested modes of transport. It will be difficult to make real change until the major players start making it easier for people to choose the slow way. Walking is not only better for the planet, it’s better for our mental & physical health and will help ease congestion making the underground and the bus more comfortable for those who don’t have walking as an option. For those of us that can, we really should, for our own benefit as well as the benefit of others.

I will continue to transfer on foot whenever I have the chance, and not only beacuse it gives me a chance to say hello to the geese.

That’s how I stroll.