Why I walk/hike/tramp (i.e. my pros for walking)

My Tilley hat, that has seen better days.

A few weeks back I posted about two pet peeves I have while out walking (hiking/tramping).  There are really the only two things that bug me but, boy do they bug me.  One may wonder, if I get annoyed so much, why I enjoy walking.  In many cases the pet peeves are not really present during a walk and certainly usually not during the larger percentage of any walk (although my walk earlier in the week, to be posted soon after this, was an exception to that general rule as it had numerous instances of both pet peeves).

This post is to focus on the positives: the reasons why I enjoy being out and about, clambering over fell and through dale.  Here are some of the reasons why I walk, although this is by no means an exhaustive list.

Variety of scenery - I love a walk that keeps surprising me with the variety of scenery it offers, constantly changing from high hilltop views, to woodland meanders, alongside a stream, river, loch or canal, through low rolling land offering wide skies, past some historic ruins or other relics of a primitive culture, along peaceful country lanes or cart tracks, through farmer's fields and perhaps offering some coastal path sections, or something not already mentioned.  Undulations are also welcome, as long as there is no rock climbing, and the path underfoot not too uneven (as I like to look about when I walk, and not spend all of my time navigating a constantly tricky trail).  Of course, not all trails offer all of the aforementioned, but three or four of those ingredients make for a great walk.

Fitness and weight loss - I do like that a long distance walking holiday helps me not only lose weight, but become lean, stronger, healthier and with much higher stamina.  It also makes me feel more alive, have much more restful and deeper sleep, and enjoy that extra strain of muscle as I push up an incline.

Food and drink tastes so much better - On my long distance walking holidays I often get a packed lunch from the place I'm staying, or if there is a village shop I'll pick up something from there.  Likely the lunch will be simple: a ham and tomato sandwich, or perhaps cheese and pickle, a bag of crisps, one or two pieces of fruit, a mini chocolate bar and, if I'm lucky, some home-made baking, like a flapjack.  In the evenings in the U.K. I'll find a local pub and settle down for a wholesome meal and a pint of cider - the simple flavours bursting on my taste buds after a day of exercise and fresh air.  Also, not every night, I might indulge in a pudding - a spotted dick, or sticky toffee pudding - knowing I more than burnt off the calories I am consuming during the day's ramble.

Time to think - I can, and do, think all of the time, as we all do, but there is something about being alone and in the wilds that frees the mind to wander.  Sometimes I'll be thinking of a situation in a novel I am considering writing, and I figure out a solution to a small problem I am having with the plot.  Other times I might break out into, very badly sung, song - I can't keep a tune.  Other times I will settle on a topic and roll it around in my mind to examine it from different angles and, hopefully, other people's points of view.  I hassled my Mum for a couple of years to get me an electronic recording device (what used to be a Dictaphone) and eventually she got me one for a birthday or Christmas.  I keep it handy in my backpack waist pocket and take it out when I feel like recording some of my mental musings out loud - who knows what other ramblers think of me when they are taking a leak behind a tree as I pass by chatting to no one in particular.

Quality of life - I've read and seen (videos of) people who walk for mental health reasons.  While I have no mental health issues of my own, I can see how it could be of benefit to those who do suffer from them, as being out walking makes me feel, not only more alive, but thankful to be alive.  I crave being out doing long distances when I'm not, and love it when I am.  When I am in the last day(s) of a LDW holiday, I start to feel a little sad that it is almost over.

Atmosphere, sights, scents and sound - I don't walk with earphones in, although I have seen others doing so - listening to their music, an audio book, or a podcast.  To me that would negate one of the reasons for being out and about - enjoyment.  It would negate a second reason also - being alert of any potential danger, like an approaching car.  I'm not against listening to any of those recorded sounds, but I do that when I'm traveling (through earphones when on bus, train or plane, through speakers when in the house or car) not when I'm out walking.  I like to hear the natural sounds: birds chirping, animals rustling through the grass or scrubland, the wind through the trees or a field of tall grass, the waves on rocks at the beach, or the burble and chatter of a stream, the croak of a frog, the buzz of a cicada or cricket, the thundering of a waterfall, the patter of rain on leaves and ground, the crunch of my boots on the path.  I like to see the views from up high (and down low), the dells within a woodland, the atmospheric intimacy of foggy/misty days, the rocky cascade of water, the different types of trees, plants, crops, flowers, grasses, and the odd glimpse of a wild animal as it scurries away from what it, incorrectly, sees as a threat.  I like to smell recently turned earth in a field, dampness of a rainy day, new flowers, freshly cut hay.  I like to feel the acute sense of being alive in high wind, or pouring rain, or when the temperature drops to just below comfortable but body heat from exertion is able to hold it at bay.

Variety of weather - As long as weather is not life-threatening, I don't consider it bad weather.  How can something non-cognisant be bad?  I love rainy days, breezy days, misty/foggy days, chilly days, overcast days, windy days, snowy days, and even, on occasion, sunny days.  In truth, the only days I don't enjoy are the hot ones (I'm not good with heat, as I generate a lot of body heat while walking).  In short, I love being out in varied weather.

Sometimes, the people - I hesitate to put this, as I don't walk to meet people.  In fact, most of the walking I do is solo.  I enjoy my own company, as well as my own pace, and my own desires, and to have to cater to someone else's wishes and walking style can be mildly annoying, if not downright frustrating, however I have met and walked with others in the past - the most notable was with Robin for five days on the Pennine Way, or the occasional sections with Richard and Barbara on the Cotswold Way - and have enjoyed it when I did.  Of course, I also enjoyed it when I was back to walking solo again right after.  I am not a very sociable person, not going out of my way to introduce myself or meet random strangers, but I'm up for some company and a chat should someone approach me, and most of the B&B owner's I've met along the way have been friendly, welcoming and, on occasion, offered a meal and a chat, or even to do my laundry (I've even had one pre-purchase some cider to offer to me upon arrival - they had inquired as to what my choice of drink was during the booking process).

New places (and favourite familiar ones) - Admittedly, I'm a fan of walking in the U.K., and I do like discovering new places I haven't yet walked through, so I'm looking forward to walking trails there that I haven't yet done, whether through an area I've already been or not.  However, there are some regions that I also like to revisit because I enjoyed them so much (the Yorkshire Dales and Shropshire Hills spring to mind).

As I am currently sitting inside, looking at a computer screen (but with views of my garden and its trees, and further trees, vegetation, and ocean beyond the garden, out of my ranch slider), I'm not sure if I have thought of all of the reasons I like walking (I need to be walking so I can think and ponder! LOL), so this post might get some updates in the future if I think of other things to add.