I have always loved walking, indeed looking back I recognise it’s the best way of helping me to think. As I prepared for my retirement, I was certain that walking was going to be a big part of what I wanted to do.
Walking is a way of slowing down. Working life seemed like a constant round of activity with no time to take notice of the world around me and I wanted that to change.
I have noticed so much that I am routinely amazed by the beauty around me. The way the light transforms bare branches in winter, the vibrant colours of hedgerow flowers and fruit. As I walk around Gateshead where I live, I discover not just the parks both traditional and nature but the footpaths, and wagonways which lead through pockets of woodland or scrub, what I like to call micro countryside.
I am not sure if there are many places where I walk which have not been altered in some way by human activity, but I don’t consider this something bad. These layers of history create a landscape with so much interest.
There also seems to be a lot of evidence that walking is good for our health, both mental and physical. I hope this will keep me active and healthier for years to come.