As a child, I wasn't naturally sporty or good at physical games. I used to try all sorts of tricks to get out of PE, particularly if it was cross country running on a cold, wet day which was my version of hell! However, some of my earliest and happiest memories are of long walks with my grandparents, especially my Nan who was a great walker and was renowned for the ‘magical mystery tour’ walks around her neighbourhood in north London that she would take my brother and me on when we were very little. I remember there was a green paddock, in the middle of an otherwise urban landscape, where a donkey who wore a straw hat lived, and we were always happy to walk that bit further if there was a chance of seeing him.

My grandparents later retired to Sussex, and we would continue our walks when we stayed with them during the school holidays. We’d traipse for miles over the South Downs and seafronts of that stretch of coast although by this time it wasn’t always willingly and often required the bribe of a picnic or a bottle of pop and a packet of crisps in a pub garden somewhere en route!

At home, walks were a daily necessity for our lovely but crazy Red Setter and later, our equally lovely but crazy King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, and Sunday mornings were often earmarked for long dog walks while mum cooked lunch in peace.

In my late teens to mid-20s, I discovered the joys of step aerobics (it was the 90s!) and found that I could enjoy exercise when it was a solo, non-competitive effort although I had no love of Lycra and still don’t! I’d have to walk through the gym to get to the aerobic studio and would look in horror at the muscly men lifting weights and posing in front of the mirrors.

At this point in time, walking wasn’t a big part of my life. It tended to be out of necessity if other modes of transport were unavailable – most often due to the lack of a taxi after a night out and cursing my footwear! However, as I progressed into my career in NHS administration, I found that a walk during my lunch break at work was essential for maintaining my mental health and periods where I felt under pressure to work through lunch and miss my walk corresponded with the times that I struggled most with work-related stress.

In my late 20s and early 30s, I finally plucked up the courage to venture into the gym and found I really enjoyed using the fixed and free weights, as well as clocking up miles on the treadmill and I was probably the fittest I'd been in my life. By this stage, my husband and I had relocated to Aberdeenshire, via Norfolk, and I was working as a reflexologist on a part-time basis which gave me the flexibility to indulge my love of walking and Aberdeenshire offers the most amazing landscape for exploring on foot.

I then had a baby at 35, by emergency cesarean section, which completely changed my relationship with my body and exercising. I felt self-conscious about my new body shape which didn’t ping back to its pre-baby weight and my flat stomach was a thing of the past. I lost a lot of confidence at this time and like most new mums, I found aspects of new motherhood challenging, especially without a family support network nearby and a husband who travelled for work. During this time, walking was my lifeline. I would take my son out for daily walks in the pram as the fresh air and movement were guaranteed to send him to sleep and I would be able to exchange hellos with other passers-by and feel some connection to the world. Walking was also a form of exercise that I could tolerate as I healed from the operation.

However, my son wasn’t happy to stay in the pram for long, and those brisk, long walks soon became very slow, short walks at his toddler pace and then developed into running behind his balance bike, then to family bike rides, and now to being left at home while he and his dad head off on 100-km bike rides at a pace I can’t begin to keep up with!

And so, I’m back to my solo daily walks. I try and walk 4 miles most days and really feel it when I don’t. My mood and sleep suffer terribly. I love to walk in nature and absorb the sounds and smells of the countryside and I'm lucky to have this available on my doorstep. I also love walking in cities and towns. Maybe it's due to those early walks with my Nan but I find great joy and fascination in exploring residential streets on foot, looking at front doors, imagining the lives of those who live behind them, peering into the gardens of houses to see what they're growing (I know, nosiness is a terrible trait!)

I've also recently rediscovered the benefits of strength training and can regularly be found lifting dumbbells in front of a YouTube video in my living room. I haven't quite plucked up the courage to go back into the gym yet but maybe one day…

However, I know that whatever direction my relationship to exercise takes over the course of the rest of my life, walking will always be a fundamental part of it. It’s good for my physical and mental health and good for my soul. One day, I hope to be the grandmother, taking my grandchildren on a ‘magical mystery tour’ and inspiring their love of walking.

Walking for Health Facts and Stats

Walking has many health benefits: (reference: May is National Walking Month - Active Nation)

It’s good for your heart - walking helps strengthen your heart and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. A brisk walk for 30 minutes every day is said to reduce your risk of a stroke by 27%.

Helps you to lose weight - if you walk at around 2 mph for 30 minutes then you will burn around 75 calories and if you increase this to 4 mph this will rise to 150 calories. 20 minutes of walking each day could burn 7 pounds of body fat a year.

It can help to lower our risk of dementia – an older person who walks 6 or more miles per week is less likely to have problems such as dementia.

It gives you energy - walking boosts our circulation and increases the oxygen supply to our body helping us to feel more alert and awake.

It’s a full-body workout - walking activates many muscles in the body including the calves, glutes, hamstrings, quads and abdominal muscles.

Increase your Vitamin D intake - many people in the UK are deficient in Vitamin D which is important for our bone health and immune system and a good way to increase your levels is to go outside for a walk in the sunlight.

It makes you happy – many people say that a brisk walk makes them feel happy and can be a great help if you are suffering from depression, anxiety or feeling stressed.