Cakewalk now on the menu

Rose hips - seen the on the Cakewalk route.

ONE idea to work out a ‘menu’ of routes, so that you can choose one to suit your mood and the amount of time you have. You could have a longer, more challenging one at weekends, for example, and shorter ones for when you’re pushed for time.

Walking is not like going to the gym. Apart from the fact that you have no subscription to pay, you don’t have to travel to get there, you don’t have to book at particular times, you don’t have to follow any particular programme and you don’t need any specialist equipment.

In fact, you can fit a session in almost any time, any place. Even just a five-minute burst is better than nothing at all. And if you think of every step you take as an investment in your own health and well-being, then that time and those steps are invaluable.

I followed the same route this morning as I did yesterday. And because the distance was partly determined by my penance for eating so much cake – where I told myself I had to add an extra bit (on to the walk, that is, not another slice of cake!) - I’ve decided to call it my Cakewalk! It’s one of my favourites, and is exactly five miles from the door of my house and back again.

Early morning colour in the park.

I cross a main road twice – once on the outward and once on the home-bound journey – then stay on pavements until I reach the local park where I do an anti-clockwise circuit of the perimeter path. On the very last section of the route, near my home, I have the choice of walking alongside the main road or taking a woodland pathway which runs parallel to it.

My goal now is to do the same walk a few more times, until I get a good sense of exactly how long it takes, what my pace is, how I ‘feel’ about it. And I’ll be doing the same with the other walks, slowly building up the bank, or menu, of different routes.

The park was beautiful this morning, between seven and eight. A light bluey mist hugged the ground and beams from the low sun speared between the trees. It was quieter than usual, with the occasional jogger or walker, and a handful of owners exercising their dogs.

It’s surprising how quickly the sun rises, though, and for much of the way back I was walking into it. I like this least of all. It’s rather like when you’re driving and you’re blinded by the angle of the sun. Sometimes, you simply can’t see where you’re going. In these conditions, I stick to shaded areas as much as possible.

But the Cakewalk is now on my menu, and I’ll certainly be going back for a second, or even third, helping!