Walking Back To Happiness

Well, over this last week or so my training has started again in earnest for my walking challenges of 2022! I have some plans for a couple of trips away, taking in some longer winter treks in preparation for my LETJOG C2C trek in April with my old schoolfriend Rob. In advance of these I’ve been enjoying some glorious short winter walks closer to home.

Carrying a few extra pounds following the Christmas break, it has been wonderful to get out and to push myself a little in the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire countryside over the last week or so. Clement or otherwise, weather should not be an issue if one has the right clothing and equipment, but it does inevitably have some bearing on mood, and after a couple of soakings since Christmas it has been great these last two days to enjoy some early morning sunshine with crystal-clear visibility. I find it easier to dress comfortably for the cold than for the wet, and after a little exercise one soon warms up, making any dry days during this time of year especially great for walking.

So yesterday a group of seven of us set out at 9.00 am from the Bridgewater Arms in Little Gaddesden. Along a frosted track we descended through the woodlands and fields to Dagnall village, before climbing the opposite side of the Gade valley towards Studham. With the sun now warming the frozen ground we pondered awhile overlooking the valley, a pair of red kites circling below us, ahead of the descent back to the river and the long climb back up to our start point, and coffee!

A word on nordic walking. Just for stability alone, the poles are quite an asset when tackling the ubiquitous mud and occasional ice on rural pathways at this time of year. But the fun really starts on the flat, and especially on the uphill sections, where propulsion takes over from control and the poles come into their own. I find that nordic walking provides the best low-impact cardio-vascular exercise: done correctly the discipline enables a whole-body work-out with relatively low risk of repetitive strain, of joint impact injuries, and of falls. Add in the mental health and emotional benefits of being in the outdoors with great company and conversation, and the all-round benefits, to me at least, are second to none!

I succeeded last year in passing my 2,021-mile target for the year of ‘boots-on’ walking. It was of course an exceptional year, and around three-quarters of my total mileage comprised my LETJOG walk and the training for it. This year, with certain other commitments, I am reverting to a target of 1,000-miles, that I passed in 2020, an average of somewhat under three miles per day, although I am likely to walk rather more than that in preparation for LETJOG C2C.

For those interested I will be writing here weekly or so now, as Rob and I prepare for our C2C trek, and then daily in April when we commence our walk. We will be crossing the heart of the Lake District, traversing the Pennines into the Yorkshire Dales, and then climbing up onto the North York Moors. I hope to see you here again soon!

And if anyone is interested in matching this thousand-mile annual walking challenge, then Country Walking magazine has a convenient platform on which you can share your experiences with others undertaking the challenge. I’m not on commission (honest!), and I actually prefer to do my own thing, but I know others who subscribe to Country Walking or frequent their website http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/country-walking-magazine in order to enjoy the support that they offer to those doing the challenge.