Lockdown has rekindled enthusiasm for the gentle family walk. Madeleine Howell, with help from the Ramblers, has chosen some of the best
Not all walks need be a forced march. With the whole family in tow – little ones on scooters or in pushchairs; grandparents who are less mobile than they used to be – an amble along even paths, covering a couple of miles, is the order of the day. A short walk is often no less rewarding, especially now different households are able to gather outside again. After all, a slow wander grants more time to take in the surroundings, from wide-open vistas to the flora and fauna you might encounter en route.
This weekend, we’ve selected 20 of Britain’s gentlest routes, including wheelchair and pushchair accessible options, and both urban trails and countryside meanderings – with a little help from the Ramblers, the national walking charity working to protect and expand walking places. And we have a guide to resources for planning easy-access walks.
There are few better ways to spend time with loved ones, according to the Ramblers’ president, radio presenter Stuart Maconie. “There’s a particular kind of walker who doesn’t seem to think a walk is a proper walk unless death has been diced with on a
‘Walking ought to be classless and colour blind and unconcerned with ability or income’
sharp mountain ridge, or a score of miles have been covered. I am not that walker. I love big walks but the important thing is to ‘get out’ – to the park, the towpath, the local beauty spot.” Such companionable, near-athand walks have come into their own during lockdown, he says. “They’ll continue to be important as we learn to love our own spaces and question the need to spend hours on planes or in cars to ‘escape’.”
During his tenure as Ramblers president, Maconie has also highlighted the importance of inclusivity. “At the heart of our organisation is the desire to open up the countryside to everyone and make a healthier, happier nation,” he says. “Walking ought to be classless and colour-blind and unconcerned with ability, income or having the right gear. Come outside. There’s something for everyone.”
Maconie had a “kind of epiphany” on Loughrigg Fell in the Lakes in the mid-1990s after years as a music journalist living in hotels and tour buses. “I’ve been in love ever since with being out in the landscape and fresh air, because I can feel the good it’s doing me. I eat better, sleep sounder and think clearer,” he says. We hope you’ll find an excursion for the whole family on these pages, whatever your party’s pace might be.