Alice Kay
OK, I will be upfront – I don’t walk absolutely everywhere. I am lucky enough to live in Greater London after all and have a variety of nearby train and bus routes I can utilise.
Yet, for journeys under three miles, I would hazard a guess that I walk close to 90% of them. And that doesn’t include walks for leisure which can take me roaming twice as far away from home.
Why, you might ask, do I like to walk so much (and why don’t I ever make use of the aforementioned car and bike)? Full disclosure, the car is a slightly temperamental beast nowadays and mostly only used for longer journeys outside London to see family, while the bike has resided at my father’s flat in Cambridge for close to a decade now. One day I will reclaim it.
Back to walking – so why do I do it? Number one: because I can. I’m lucky enough to be fit and healthy and I want to make use of the ability to walk anywhere I fancy for as long as possible. I’m also lucky enough to live in London where pavements, footpaths, and cut-throughs allow pedestrians to travel almost anywhere they want to. I grew up in a tiny village that, although beautiful for nature walks, didn’t have a pavement connecting it to the neighbouring village where my school and friends were. You walked along the 60 mile an hour road at your peril so I just… didn’t. Living in a place like London is a real privilege for a walker, although it may not seem like it at times.
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