From any one place, there will be a limit to the number of walks which can be easily completed without resorting to the motor car. Most places have walks of varying lengths in all directions, but eventually you will need to repeat a route. But what is wrong with walking a familiar route over and over? Walking a familiar route removes anxiety of getting lost, or finding the path blocked or taking longer than you thought you would. You don’t need to concentrate on a map and looking for the route. You can let your mind wander, let your eyes rise to the horizons to look at the view.
‘It looks different every time I walk it’. The countryside is constantly changing. Nature changes things continually, different flowers come and go, bare branches bud, bear bright green leaves which gradually darken before changing dramatically into a myriad of oranges reds and browns before falling to the ground to be kicked through. Wildlife, if we are lucky enough to see some, changes too. Agriculture accentuates the changes in season as the arable fields change from brown to green then, depending on the crop to many colours, then brown again after the harvest.
If you walk a route in the opposite direction, it can feel distinctly different. We rarely look behind us and a change in direction will mean you see new things. Even in Tier 3 conditions, outdoor exercise can be taken in groups of up to 6 so try walking with a friend, at 2m distance. When you show someone your route, you can find yourself pointing out things you thought you had forgotten about.
As winter approaches, days shorten and the temperature drops, wrap up warm, put your wellies on and get outside, even if you walk the same way each day.
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