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Why walking is the arch-enemy of arthritis

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#walk1000miles and families

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How it works

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Why there’s a thousand ways to walk 1000 miles!

10 reasons walking is ONE GIANT LEAP for your health

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The things you discover on a journey of 1000 miles!

Short of time? Here’s how these busy 1000 milers get their miles in

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Ideas to inspire your walks in town and city

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10 years of memories

Hail to you, o proud completer! (Or imminent-completer-to-be.) If you’ve done something a little bit superhuman and walked 1000 miles in 2025, or if you’re pretty darn certain to do so by December 31st, we would very much like to put your name on the **GREAT WALL OF NAMES** in the upcoming year-end issue of **Country Walking**.

This is the epic two-page spread of the magazine in which we salute the year’s completers, and you get to grab a magnifying glass and seek out your name, and perhaps those of others whose company you’ve treasured throughout the challenge this year.

To make sure you’re included, all you need to do is fill in the form below and click **ENTER**, and it’s done.

(You’ll even get sent a special shiny subscription offer for Country Walking. Ah, you can’t blame us for a bit of eagerness; we do love this magazine and all the names that sail in it.)

So yes, it’s time to be Another Brick In The Wall – but it’s the best and most beautiful Wall you’ll see this year, and all the better for you being in it. Let‘s get building!

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## It’s a myth you should put your feet up to stop arthritis from getting worse. Movement is the key, and walking daily is the secret of keeping joints moving and pain at bay.

Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in the UK. It’s thought one in seven of us has some form of it, leading to stiffness, limited movement and pain. Yet many do the wrong thing when they’re diagnosed because of a misconception that the condition is ‘wear and tear’, and the best way to prevent it getting worse is to stop walking.

That’s precisely what you shouldn’t do, says David Vaux of charity Arthritis Action: “Movement is the fundamental thing. There’s a lot of evidence to suggest pain from arthritis is improved if we can move, and this is universally experienced with injury or an arthritic joint. “If we strengthen the muscles around joints we’re more likely to feel less pain. Don’t forget we’re not just meat and bone, we’re also human beings. Sharing time with other people is helpful to your frame of mind, and also to your nervous system, because if you’re doing something enjoyable you’ll feel less pain. Walking’s important whether you’ve got arthritis or not, says David: “The act of walking is fundamentally good for us as human beings. It’s good for hip, knee, ankle mobility and balance. “Unless you’ve had a historic injury by fall or accident, it’s still quite mysterious as to why some people get arthritis while others don’t,” explains Vaux. “If you’re unlucky enough to develop it, you’ll be far better placed having had a strong history of walking – you’ll have fewer detrimental effects.”

The number of people in the UK with arthritis or similar conditions that affect the joints

The number of those with osteoarthritis, the most common type

The time in your life when arthritis most often develops

The amount adults with arthritis can decrease pain and improve function by being physically active, according to US health bodies

## ‘I thought my doctor was crackers!’

Jan Oakes: ‘When I was told I have early stages of arthritis in my hip six years ago, my doctor told me to walk more and I thought he was crackers. To my mind it’s wear and tear, and the more I walk the worse it’s going to get. But he was right and I was very wrong. It takes a while sometimes to get going, but once I’m moving it’s no bother at all.’

**After being told she’ll be in a wheelchair in her 30s, 55-year-old Kathy Cox uses daily walks to help her defy medicine.**

‘I’d just qualified as a nurse when a car accident left me struggling to walk, sit or stand, and my mobility was gradually decreasing. It was another 18 months before I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, where the spine and other areas become inflamed.

‘My consultant told me, “You will probably never walk properly, you’ll need your hips replacing and likely end up in a wheelchair by your mid-30s.” I turned to my mum and said: “I’ll prove him wrong.”

‘For years I lived with the belief that walking any distance could make my condition worse. Then my GP told me I was pre-diabetic. I made the decision to lose 50lbs by my 50th birthday less than eight months away and started with a 20-minute walk before I was tired. Within what a few days I was walking three miles, then five, the end of the road became the head of the bay. Now I can walk 1000 miles, and once even walked 144 miles in 11 days.

‘My rheumatologist says I defy medicine; I plan to continue. It’s a tough gig, but I persevere because I know walking is what keeps me going physically and mentally.’

## ‘Without #walk1000miles I’d have given up’

Anne Goulding Colbeck: ‘Nine years ago I was told I would have to give up walking as I had severe osteoarthritis in my left knee. The pain left me crippled, miserable and reliant on pills and crutches. Four years later I had a partial knee replacement and was told my hiking days were over. In despair I sold all my gear.

‘But I woke one morning and thought: “I’m not a quitter!” So I pushed myself, walking a little further month by month. Then I found #walk1000miles on Facebook – an amazing group that gets you through when you’re feeling down. Now I just love being out in the hills and I even walked a marathon!’

Don Lane: ‘I’ve had arthritis for over 10 years and walking has allowed me to put off having a knee replacement for a decade. It helped keep the joint moving and the muscle supportive. Now I’ve finally had the replacement, walking has formed part of my rehab and getting out has made me realise a new knee has been a step forward, not back. The walking is already less painful than it was pre-op.’

Millions of kids watch their parents wearing Fitbits and Apple Watches to record amazing milestones like 10,000 steps a day, and think they could never do it. But they can – easily. In fact, research shows that 6-11-year-old kids do about 10,000-15,000 steps on a school day; adolescents do 10,000-11,700. They can hit incredible mileages! Yet British kids, on average, spend more than 20 hours a week online – swiping smartphone screens, playing consoles, streaming movies. Government research shows 74% of them spend less than 60 minutes a day outside, which is less than prison inmates....

According to The National Trust, a ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ is creating serious hidden issues among children like diminished senses, attention difficulties, higher rates of illness, and even the loss of basic – and vital – everyday functions like learning how to safely cross roads. Walking is free, simple and one of the easiest ways to get active as a family. Hitting 1000 miles in a year might seem like an impossible target now, but make a few small changes to your weekly routine and you’ll soon see the miles pile up. Ditch the car and walk to school, go for a short stroll after dinner, take stairs instead of lifts, meet up with other families who like spending time outdoors. Short, simple activities can quickly make a big difference.

You can define the #walk1000miles challenge as a family however you want – count every step of every day; just count miles you walk together as a family; or only count ’boots-on’ miles when you’re hitting countryside trails. Walking 1000 miles in a year breaks down to 2.74 miles a day. So think about this – 10,000 steps is roughly five miles for adults, so even little legs can be well on target to smash that milestone by simply leading an active life. So make those little lifestyle changes, plan regular walks and – most importantly -– keep getting outside as a family. You don’t have to walk up mountains or trudge across boggy moors (although both are great!) – just explore your local woods or country park, or take the dog for slightly longer walks. Make each walk fun and engaging. Take plenty of snacks, play games of nature bingo, hunt for creepy-crawlies, jump in muddy puddles, skim stones, climb trees, paddle in rivers – all those great things you loved doing as a kid. The most important thing is just to get out and walk as a family, and together you could achieve something amazing.

### :a[Take the first step today - Sign up to join the biggest self-improvement movement!]{href='https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/advice/inspiration/sign-up/' }

Walking 1000 miles does you a power of good – but you can magnify that power many times over by adding a fund-raising dimension to your challenge. You might take on a fantastic challenge-within-challenge or you might seek per-mile sponsorship for your 1000 miles. You might start putting your pocket change in a jar after every walk. However you choose to do it, charitable giving can extend and enlarge not only the enjoyment but the impact of your challenge – something that many find makes a great feeling even more memorable.

### :a[Feeling inspired? Sign up now to get your Walk 1000 Miles journey started]{href='https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/advice/inspiration/sign-up/' }

Whether you’re throwing sticks for your dog, kitted out in fancy dress for a charity challenge, hopping across stepping stones with your kids, or heading for a country pub with a gang of mates, there’s a lot more to walking than just chalking off miles and boosting physical fitness. For a start, just think of the fun places you can visit in Britain if you walk the 2.74 miles a day required to hit 1000 miles in 12 months.

You could eat freshly-baked cakes in Snowdon’s summit cafe, walk the Gruffalo Trail on Forestry Commission nature reserves, paddle in the sea anywhere on our 6,000 miles of coastline, splash through muddy puddles, and have picnics everywhere from windswept moors to quaint Cotswolds riversides. You can play games of nature bingo or eye-spy while you walk, hunt for the millions of geocaches stashed all over the UK, take selfies, collect mementos like feathers and shells, use a pocket guide to ID birds and trees – the list is endless. It doesn’t matter if your feet stink, your hair gets plastered to your forehead, your belly hangs over your waistband or your walking boots look like their belong in the 1950s.

That’s the beauty of walking – anything goes, and all that matters is getting outside and enjoying yourself. You’ll forge stronger friendships through hours spent on footpaths and trails, connect with your kids in ways you didn’t think possible, and – possibly most fun of all – gorge yourself on sugary treats while you walk and giant pub meals at the end of the day, all in the name of fuelling the day’s exercise.   A few years ago, a video called ‘DofE Mud Jump Fail’ was uploaded to YouTube, showing a teenage girl with a heavy rucksack trying to jump across a bog on a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition. Of course, she tripped over, face-planted, and got coated from head to toe in mud. She laughed hysterically, as did every member of her expedition group, and probably every one of the 1.8 million people who have since viewed it online. That video’s a reminder of everything that’s fun about walking. Laughter, friendship, the pure joy of nature, getting out of your usual cozy comfort zone, and the ability to forget all about the pressures of everyday life to just giggle your way through a few muddy miles.

:a[Sign up to #walk1000miles today]{href='https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/advice/inspiration/sign-up/' }, join our Facebook group, meet some fun people, and let’s have fun together for the next 12 months.

Seven in 10 people in Britain have lost touch with nature. In a recent survey, 13% admitted they hadn’t been to the countryside in more than two years, while one in four parents said they wouldn’t know how to teach their children about British wildlife. A third couldn’t identify a barn owl, with that figure rising to two-thirds for a European turtle dove. Unsurprisingly, that’s having a knock-on effect with the next generation. The RSPB reports that just one in five children in Britain are ‘connected to nature’, with boys showing an even larger disconnect than girls. The solution, though, is simpler than you might think.

A strong connection to the natural world brings many benefits – including improved health and well-being – and there’s no simpler way to get out into it than by lacing up your boots or trainers and going for a walk. We’ve got three billion trees in Britain and more than 500 species of bird. Walk on Scotland’s west coast to see soaring white-tailed eagles with 2.5-metre wingspans. Stroll along the sea cliffs of North Yorkshire and Northumberland and marvel at some of the world’s largest seabird colonies. There are ospreys in our lakes, avocets on our beaches, nightingales in our woods, peregrines in our cities, and hen harriers (although less than we’d like) skydancing through our remote uplands. We’ve got adders and grass snakes and slow worms and sand lizards. There are mountain hares on our highest summits; bats in our caves; seals, sharks, dolphins and even killer whales in our seas; pine martens in our woods; frogs and newts in our ponds; beavers, water voles and otters in our rivers; and the mighty red deer – our largest native mammal – roaring from Devon to northern Scotland.

Closer to home you’ll find dormice and hedgehogs in your gardens, slugs and woodlice hiding under logs, squirrels in parks, foxes in urban streets, rabbits on roadside verges… the list goes on and on.   Don’t fall into the trap of thinking these animals just exist on TV and in books. Go for a walk and see them for yourself, because they’re all around you – in the towns and cities where we work and the streets where we live. If you walk an hour a day this year you’ll be well on target to hit 1000 miles by the end of the year. Just imagine how many species you could tick off in that time too.

### :a[Ready to discover more? Sign up now to get your Walk 1000 Miles journey started]{href='https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/advice/inspiration/sign-up/' }

Walking is a fantastic way to move more, protect your health, improve how you feel and achieve the body you want. Walking helps you maintain a healthy weight happily, gets the heart pumping faster, makes you feel more energetic and improves your mood. Over time, it can even help to lower the risk of serious illnesses like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. And as well as bringing all the benefits of more vigorous activity, it’s also great because you can do it anywhere and it won’t cost you a penny!

If you’re on a weight-loss journey and thinking of signing up for #walk1000miles you’re in luck: research shows that being physically active on a regular basis is equal in importance to eating a healthy balanced diet to successful weight-loss maintenance – and 100% of dieters polled said doing #walk1000miles made their weightloss journey a happier one. Whether it’s walking to meet a friend, stepping out of the office at lunchtime, walking around your local shopping centre or taking the dog to the park, there are lots of ways you can build up those miles. Encouraging friends and family members to feel as good as you do and build activity into their daily life will be of huge benefit too, and if you do it together you’re more likely to stick to it. More than 50% of Slimming World members who are active influence their partners, friends and family to get more active too.

### :a[Take your first step! Get started today]{href='https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/advice/inspiration/sign-up/' }

Walking with like-minded people is a surefire way to enhance the enjoyment of your walks, build deep and long-lasting friendships, bring families closer together, and motivate you to keep getting out into nature. Whether you walk with your best friend every morning, a local rambling group every weekend, your colleagues every lunchtime, or just love getting out together as a family at every opportunity, you’ll quickly discover the huge benefits of group walking. You’ll motivate and encourage each other, give tips and advice on everything from the best boots and rucksacks to your favourite walking snacks, and share new routes both in your local area and further afield.

But most of all walking with other people is about fun and friendship. We’ve been overwhelmed by stories from #walk1000milers who have discovered new walking groups, built incredible new groups of friends, and even reconnected with long-lost relatives while taking part in the challenge. So if you fancy signing up and want someone to walk with, pick up the phone and call a friend or family member and ask them to join you. It doesn’t matter if they’re an experienced long-distance hiker or have never laced up a pair of boots in their life, just get out and start walking together. If you’re looking for someone new to walk with then sign up to our Facebook group, which has over 40,000 members who constantly share stories and arrange walking meetups all over the country.

Check out the Walking for Health website, which provides England’s largest network of free health walks with 1,800 taking place each week. There are more than 500 volunteer Ramblers groups across England, Scotland and Wales, with most of their walks taking place at weekends and more than 300,000 people taking part each year. Search for guided walks in your local country park or nature reserves, start a regular lunchtime walking group with people you work with, encourage your kids to walk with you to and from school – you can do it any way you like. Walking 1000 miles in a year breaks down to 19.23 miles a week, or 2.74 miles and roughly an hour of walking a day. You’ll have a great time doing it by yourself; but if you share those miles and hours with other people, just imagine how much fun you’ll have along the way.

It’s remarkable: an ever-increasing number of studies point to walking about an hour a day – co-incidentally the same as it takes to walk 1000 miles in 12 month – as the best medicine for pretty much whatever ails you. If you want to lose weight, build stronger bones, send the threat of Type 2 diabetes, stroke or depression packing, feel more creative, keep your joints supple, your stress levels low and reverse the effects of aging (for real) – walking is the way to do it. But it isn’t just the scientists saying it, it’s the tens of thousands of people (and counting) who’ve done #walk1000miles and felt their physical resilience, health and fitness soar.

Lose weight, build stamina, fight heart disease, reduce cancer risk, breathe more easily: there’s five quick reasons why you should sign up to walk 1000 miles this year. Spend around an hour a day walking and not only will you smash the 1000-mile barrier in the next 12 months, you’ll also give your body the best tune-up it’s ever had.

Walking is one of the best possible ways to get active and become healthier. It’s free, simple, easy to fit around your daily routine, and apart from a pair of comfy shoes you hardly need any specialist kit. Let’s look at the health benefits, and there are some big ones. Cancer Research UK believes regular exercise that gets you warm and out of breath, like walking, can help prevent over 3,000 cases of cancer each year; while Macmillan says an hour a day on foot can cut the risk of death by 40-50% among people suffering the most common cases of cancer.

A recent study named the UK as the fattest nation in Western Europe – with 36% of us overweight and 27% clinically obese. How can we combat that as a nation? Walking just a single mile burns approximately 100 calories and efficiently reduces body fat. If you times that single mile by 1000, just imagine how many pounds you could shed throughout 2019. Walking an hour a day will help you breathe better too, according to a US study that saw 50-year-old subjects regaining the lungs of their 20-year-old selves. It’s also twice as effective as running at fighting off heart disease, with an hour a day on foot cutting your risk of a heart attack in your 50s and 60s by 50%.

And we’re not finished yet… walking boosts bone density in your spine and pelvis, reducing the chances of a hip fracture; increases lubrication levels in your joints to combat knee and ankle pain; combats aging by triggering anti-aging processes in body cells; helps repair DNA; fights against brain shrinkage; and increases memory, creativity, reasoning and sociability.

### :a[Convinced? Good. Let's get started.]{href='https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/advice/inspiration/sign-up/' }

If you’re new to walking, don’t try too much too soon. Walk to the shops, leave the car behind for short journeys, plan a regular stroll with a friend, exercise with your dog (or a neighbour’s dog) – then build up slowly from there to longer, more challenging, more adventurous walks. A fitness tracker like a Fitbit is a good way to track your progress, and before you know it you’ll be powering towards 1000 miles. You’ll be feeling 1000 times fitter, healthier and stronger too.

**Walk 1000 Miles** is YOUR challenge and the only person you’re competing against is the old you. That means while we set the target, YOU decide on the rules that suit you. If circumstances or fitness dictate you can count every step using a wearable fitness tracker; if you’re keen to get out more and go further, count only walks over and above your usual activity, perhaps using an app on your phone. Whatever suits your level of fitness and ambition, you need to average 2.74 miles per day whatever method you decide on.

### :a[Sign up now to get your Walk 1000 Miles journey started]{href='https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/advice/inspiration/sign-up/' }

walk1000miles has the best Facebook group in the world! You can get ideas, help, make friends, share your walks, arrange meet-ups or just shoot the breeze. Why not :a[join the group]{href='https://www.facebook.com/groups/walk1000miles/' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} now?

We recommend the :a[OS Maps app]{href='https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/maps/os-maps-subscriptions/' } to track your miles with your phone. You can watch your progress build by adding your daily, weekly and monthly totals to the double-sided chart available in our shop (and free with the first edition of Country Walking magazine of 2025.

You can buy a sticker set to mark your major milestones on a map of Britain on the Progress Chart in our shop.

With your own completer’s medal, available in 500, 1000 and even higher mileages, and every month in Country Walking magazine. You can also buy badges a and more to help 1000 milers spot each other in the shop.

Over 90% of participants say they feel a greater sense of self-esteem through walking regularly, two-thirds report greater body confidence and science is almost daily discovering ways in which walking about an hour a day fixes pretty much everything.

Check out our :a[FAQs]{href='https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/advice/inspiration/faqs/' }.

**#walk1000miles is the free challenge for everyone, created by the UK's biggest-selling walkers' magazine Country Walking. It encourages you to walk about an hour a day to achieve an amazing total. Believe it or not, you can do it in your lunch hour.**

Depending on how you put it, walking 1000 miles sounds like a towering achievement or a trivial effort. It’s enough to see you across the Gobi desert, yet 2.74 miles a day hardly seems worth writing home about. Both things are true. There’s nothing back-breaking or SAS-impressing about it, and yet it’s something only a vanishingly small proportion of the population can say they have done. And so only a few will be able to vouch for the fact that it _will_ change your life. You may not think there’s much wrong with your life as it is (I didn’t). But after completing 1000 miles in 12 months I feel _miles_ better than I have in a decade. Huge things happen by tiny increments after all. It’s just a question of doing it.

It's honesty-based and you're free to walk wherever and however you like. Country Walking magazine and the challenge community centred around walk1000miles.co.uk are here to motivate, celebrate and to provide advice, as well as bring you free content and goodies with fantastic prizes from our partners. Sign up here now to get updates, exclusive content, competitions and discounts, and get ready to enjoy a life-changing year – one step at a time!

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#walk1000miles is unique to you. Yes YOU! See how others take the challenge and tailor it to transform their lives. Then turn #walk1000miles into YOUR very own incredible, life-enhancing journey

When Julie James completed her 1000 miles last year, her subsequent Facebook post summed up why so many people absolutely adore this challenge: “My miles have been across the beautiful hills of my home of Holmfirth, urban walks through fabulous cities, coastal walks with stunning views. I’ve walked alone, with friends and my daughter. There have been many pub stops and lots of picnics. I’ve seen sunrises and sunsets, friendly animals and wonderful art. #walk1000miles is a brilliant push to encourage the joy that is walking!”

That’s #walk1000miles right there – Yes, crossing the finish line gives you goose pimples; yes, being healthier than you’ve ever been feels fantastic; but nothing beats your year-long journey of wonderful experiences.

And no two challengers have the same experiences. That’s because there’s no wrong way of doing the challenge. Instead, there’s an abundance of ways to add value, excitement and pleasure to your miles.

One is simply appreciating the nature you already have on your doorstep. Challenger Stuart Fox is truly inspirational in this respect. He takes time to spot creatures most people miss, from colourful beetles to early-season butterflies. He once spent 90 minutes watching and photographing this kingfisher \[PIC\] in the middle of his town. As he put it: “It was happily fishing in a very busy place with at least 100-plus people walking past and only about five noticing it.”

Then there’s Karen Serino-Bland, who loves heading to the centre of home town, Bedford, in spring and summer to see the beautiful patch of wildflowers there.

While for many the challenge is about venturing to the hills and to other spots where homo sapiens are few, we have plenty of members who love urban walks just as much because they provide a completely different experience. “There's a lot to be said for urban walking,” argues Andy Westlake. “You don't have to carry any food or drink, you can do a little shopping, and take in a museum.” Some urban walks offer the unexpected – Katrina Scott spiced up her miles by spending a morning walking under Sheffield. She and a group ventured through The Megatron – a Victorian underground drainage system – in darkened tunnels with the sound of trains and cars overhead.

Speaking of darkness, you may have noticed there’s plenty of it at this time of year. And while some try to find an hour in the middle of the day to get their miles in, others embrace night walking. “I love the peace and tranquillity walking in the dark gives,” says Salyen Latter. “The leaves provide the steady swishing crunch underfoot, but otherwise all is calm in the world at this time.”

And early birds find the sight of the rising sun gives them a lift that stays with them throughout the day. “Another amazing sunrise at Mam Tor, complete with cloud inversion,” posted Bev Taylor. “The silly o’clock alarm call was definitely worth it – despite the lack of sleep, my spirits were lifted and I was smiling all day!”

“Oh my goodness what an epic sunrise!” declared Angie Willis from her early morning stroll. “What an amazing start to the day!”

It’s fine to stick to the paths you know and love – lots of members prefer to do that – but if you’re keen to try something new, you’ll pick up a multitude of ideas from the Facebook group. Wild swimming is an increasingly popular mid-walk activity. Last May, Sharon Edwards took a dip to celebrate her birthday. “Fifty three years ago I was born at 16.20. Today I was, at this time, taking my first wild swim at Three Shires Head in the Peak District. A beautiful walk from Gradbach – I won't forget this birthday, it's been unbelievable!”

Emma Boylan discovered a unique walk for we Brits – a footpath that leads through Woburn Safari Park. “My 10-year-old did five miles happily looking for elephants, giraffes, goats and deer amongst others. A brilliant place to walk!”

Sometimes an opportunity presents itself to see something on a walk we may never get the chance to witness again. The dry summer took Marion Knight to Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District, with the water levels lower than they’d been for decades. “We got to explore Derwent village, flooded in the 40s when the reservoir was created. A privilege to see the remains, some in an amazingly good state.”

The desire to explore further afield is something that gets hold of many 1000-milers. And you might find holidays normally spent on lilos become walking holidays to stunning landscapes. “Walking is easy, when you’ve got views like this,” declared Pete Winson from St Ives in Cornwall. “Amazing walking holiday in the Interlaken area, Switzerland,” posted Lindsay Stevens, accompanied by images of mountains on steroids. “I loved just wandering around the 13th-century Great Beguinage UNESCO World Heritage Site – absolute peace and tranquillity in the heart of the city,” shared Andrea Brown from her trip to Leuven in Belgium.

And to walk alone or with others? Again, that’s up to you. Melanie Moss-Burton was concerned about solo walking, until she took the plunge: “As soon as I started I had no worries at all. All negative thoughts left my head. When I finished, I did wonder why I hadn't done it sooner.” Lots of members walk solo, others prefer a companion (often one with four legs), and if you ever get the chance to join a meet-up of #walk1000miles members (known as Badger meets), you’ll soon make like-minded friends for life, as Julie Russell found on a recent trip: “The company all weekend was absolutely incredibly fantastic, with old friends and lots of wonderful new ones too. Such laughter and friendship is really priceless!”

Wherever you walk, whoever you’re with, and whenever you decide to step outside, there are no bad ways of doing this challenge. But there’s always another way, should you need it, and this group never fails to give you the inspiration you need.

The health benefits of walking are truly out of this world, beating any gym, spa, surgery or miracle cure – as science keeps revealing.

One in six of us has had a common mental health problem in the past week. But walking has a three-card trick that makes it just as effective as medication (and a lot more fun). Dr David Crepaz-Keay from the Mental Health Foundation says it helps first by releasing your happy hormones and balancing your cortisol levels that help you to manage stress.

The second is by getting you into nature. And the third is the social connection we get from walking. “Walking is like the oats of the exercise world – it elevates your mood in a sustained way,” says David. Research from the University of Gothenburg revealed walking as little as two hours per week cuts your chance of developing depression in future by 63%, while the Mental Health Foundation says just 10 minutes of brisk walking will increase your mental alertness, energy and positive mood.

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition that can lead to blindness, but regular jaunts in the great outdoors will slash your chances of getting it by an extraordinary 73%.

Walking also reduces your chance of developing cataracts, and increases the blood flow to your retina and optic nerve. And by walking more you also increase the activity in your visual cortex – meaning you see and comprehend more than pre-#walk1000miles you.

3\. **Walking is our most powerful weapon against cancer**

“The statistics are very clear,” says professor Scarlett McNally, author of the report Exercise: The Miracle Cure. “Being active is the primary prevention for cancer. It reduces the risk of cancer across the board by 25-30%. In bowel cancer it reduces the risk by 45%.”

And for those living with cancer, “It helps you cope with the side effects, improves fatigue, muscle bulk, has an effect on the immune function and your metabolism, and it gives you the empowering feeling of achieving something.”

1000-miler Sue Sanders from Warwickshire can vouch for it: “I firmly believe regular walking helped in my recovery. It’s become a vital part of my life and helps both my physical and mental health.”

Walking 30 minutes each day reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes by 50%. It can also provide miraculous results for those who already have it. “Walking on its own is a huge determinant of someone’s health,” says Neil Gibson from Diabetes UK. “It can helps people go into remission, but it also decreases the risk of complications, such as kidney and foot problems, and lowers your blood pressure. It ensures people live much better.”

1000-miler Tracey White is one who can vouch for it: “I’ve lost five stone and totally reversed the need to take my medication for diabetes,” she says.

Once regarded as an inevitable symptom of ageing, we now know that walking can stop dementia. Regular walking in middle age cuts your risk of dementia by 30%, and Alzheimer’s disease by 40%.

Says Dr Sara Imarisio of Alzheimer’s Research UK, “When your heart is pumping faster, more oxygen is going to the brain, and your brain is more active than usual. The regularity of walking is crucially important.” As neuroscientist Professor Wendy Suzuki puts it more starkly still: “Simply moving your body has immediate, long-lasting, and protective benefits for your brain that can last for the rest of your life.”

Being part of the #walk1000miles community also brings you closer to others – and losing contact with people increases your risk of dementia by more than a quarter.

6. **Walking is arthritis’ arch-enemy**

Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in the UK and putting your feet up is the worst thing you can do. “Movement is fundamental,” according to David Vaux of UK charity Arthritis Action. “There’s a lot of evidence that pain from arthritis is always improved if we can move, and this is pretty universally experienced with either an injury or with an arthritic joint.”

Fifty-five-year-old Kathy Cox was told she’d be in a wheelchair in her 30s. But there’s been a plot twist says the 1000-miler: “My rheumatologist says I’m defying medicine. Some days it’s a tough gig, sure, but I persevere because I know walking is what keeps me going physically and mentally.”

Heart disease is the world’s biggest killer. “But walking is the best thing anyone could do to reduce your risk of ever having a heart problem, and to reduce the chance you’ll have complications or difficulties with it if you did,” says expert Professor Scarlett McNally.

A walk not only improves how well your heart pumps, but also lowers cholesterol and blood pressure – responsible for 50% of Ischaemic heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends it should be a first-line prescription for those with moderately high cholesterol and blood pressure. No one puts it better than James Rudd, senior lecturer in cardiovascular medicine at the Cambridge University:    
“If a drug company came up with a medicine as effective as walking, they would have a billion-dollar blockbuster on their hands.”

8\. **Walking makes you super resilient**

It takes just 10 minutes exposure to sunlight for your body to synthesise enough Vitamin D to start strengthening your bones, and boost immunity to harms from Covid to cancer. Walking daily enhances the inner layer of collagen that makes your skin supple and resilient, and rejuvenates its mitochondria – your skin’s anti-ageing army. The immune system of a 1000-mile challenger really hums, slashing the number of days lost to illness in an average year. And walking as little as nine minutes daily between March and September has been shown to be enough to sustain sufficient vitamin D levels throughout the whole of the winter.

9\. **Walking helps you rest and restore**

Poor sleep can lead to heart problems, stroke, cancer and a heightened chance of early death. Yes, walking can help you to sleep better, but here’s the thing – even when it doesn’t help you, it actually eliminates most of the links between bad sleep and premature death. A study of nearly 400,000 people by University College London and the University of Sydney found that the equivalent of 150 minutes of brisk walking each week was enough to almost completely neutralise the dangerous effects of poor sleep. Problems sleeping? Walk more, sleep better – and stop worrying about it at all.

Exercise wears your cartilage and muscle fibres, but it also prompts your body to build it all back stronger than before. It’s this repair process, according to researchers at Harvard University, which lowers the risk of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and depression – all while releasing anti-inflammatories and antioxidants, and increasing blood flow.

Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara from Trinity College in Dublin says if you want your mind to function like someone years younger, you just need to get walking. He says studies show that people in their late 60s and early 70s who have been walking produce twice as many ideas as young adults who have been seated. “Walking can reverse the ageing of our brain. You get old when you stop walking; you don’t stop walking when you get old.”

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From moss to missing pieces, confidence to komorebi: there’s nothing like a walk to open your eyes, and walking 1000 miles is a wonderful platform from which to make discoveries of every surprising kind. What might you discover?

‘A few years ago I couldn’t go outside my front door – stuck in a rut, no motivation. I was looking for something and not sure what. Then I discovered #walk1000miles and it’s probably the next best thing to my children and husband. It has taught me to love the simple things, to be confident and that I don’t need to rely on anyone except my feet. I’m forever grateful!’ – Karen Adamson

### ‘I'm so much more capable than I thought’

‘I just walked the West Highland Way alone in my 50s. I've wanted to do it for years, and solo so I could walk at my slow pace and know that I could do it alone. Getting out as much as possible in the last five years that I’ve been part of #walk1000miles has been invaluable in building confidence and fitness – and that got me through, plus the amazing support of other walkers. What a community we are! Now I’m planning to do The Great Glen Way.’ – Debbie Harley

‘Before I discovered #walk1000miles I’d been made redundant and had got in the habit of just doing nothing. I decided to give it a go, and walking became something I did every day – mostly local but sometimes further afield. My mental health improved, my fitness, and I discovered I quite like my own company, I love to be outside – and expensive overseas holidays aren’t necessary, when you realise just how beautiful the UK is!’ – Jayne Barker

‘And how awful my map reading skills were! Thank goodness for half price OS Maps I get with my CW subscription, it’s saved us getting completely lost so many times. That and I’m stronger and more capable than I thought, I CAN do that mountain or long distance walk, I just take a little longer. That’s all due to the fabulous #walk1000miles Facebook community, we always have faith in each other’. – Jane Phillips

‘I've discovered walking is a complete leveller – doesn't matter where you're from, what you have, where you've been, how successful, rich, poor, healthy, what you believe… whatever you are about, walking is our common ground.’ – Wayne Turner

‘I’ve discovered how beneficial the challenge is to my mental health. I started following an incredibly low period. The time alone really helped my thoughts process. The past year has been a rollercoaster but walking has been my escape – the sounds of nature, the colours around me, friendly hellos and the rather funny mishaps. Walking has become part of my identity.’ – Stacey Gee

‘That nothing works better for my health and wellbeing, yet how hard my mind will try to convince me at time this isn’t so! The power of #walk1000miles for me has been daily walking is now deeply ingrained habit which helps me to get out there even when my mood really wants me to stay home, stay still, stay sad. Some days the mood wins, but they’re rare and that’s ok. I just call them rest days and move on.’ – Rachel Kirk

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‘That I need to walk every day so I can feel calm and happy. That and a love of moss. It's so beautiful! Even in winter when there seems to be nothing growing, all of a sudden you spy nature's green jewel, growing on a wall, tree stump or rock – squishy, spongy and almost like a tiny world.’ – Katrina Scott

‘The most important path is the one made by walking. It’s the great physical act that puts us back together with ourselves and to the world.’ – Dr Peter Davies

‘Discovering Cuttlefish eggs on my walks in West Sussex has ignited my joy of learning about marine life. They’re fascinating! They have three hearts and change colour and have strong visual recall. If the eggs which wash ashore aren't returned to the oxygenated sea water they die pretty quickly. I love doing it.’ – Wendy Fry

‘I learnt this Japanese word from a fellow badger. It has no direct translation but the three parts to the word literally describe it. Tree leaks sunlight.’ – Mark Shore

‘On my first walk I could just about tell grass from tree, now I can't bear not knowing something, whether it's a type of tree, why this crop has been planted, what that animal footprint is, anything and everything. As soon as I get home I'm checking websites and reference books. Walking has made me realise there’s still so much to discover that I think I'm going to keep doing it until I know everything!’ – Denni Morrison

‘Since my husband got diagnosed with cancer two years ago walking has helped our fitness and mental and physical health. It’s made my husband determined to beat his cancer, and push himself to get through his treatments as quickly as he could, so he could get back out there walking again.

We've both feel much better for being out in the fresh air, AND we've discovered new hobbies, birdwatching and photography!’ – Sarah Deeley

‘Everyone has a story! I meet all sorts on my walking adventures and am always fascinated. If you delve deep enough you can almost always find a common point of reference too and coincidences abound. It’s restored my faith in the basic goodness of human nature. I also met a naked hiker!’ – Trisha Cressey

I've discovered that having a knee replacement, is the best decision I've made in a long while, and #walk1000miles has spurred me on to get the best use out of it – including getting it up Snowdon for its first birthday. It was a revelation – pain free both up, and more surprisingly down. And it feels like it still gets a little better each month. – Don Lane

‘I’ve discovered I love the simple life, I don’t need as many material things, and most importantly increased self belief: I can do more than I think I can.’ – Anne Goodridge

Psithurism: I come from a place that isn't windy except in winter when trees are bare. I find I absolutely love the sound of the wind in the trees – Liesl Van Niekerk

### ‘The juggle is hard, but walking has saved me from a really dark place’

“I walk straight from the school run wherever possible on my working days. The two days I have off work I go for a little walk with my four-year-old. At weekends it's a family walk, or I go while my husband puts the kids to bed in the evening. The juggle is hard, but lots of things motivate me.

My mental health is a big one – the difference when I don't walk is huge and that impacts me and my family. Weight loss is another – I lost a lot of weight in 2021, then I suddenly lost my mum in May last year and have put some weight back on. But walking after losing my mum, along with having to get up with the kids, saved me from a really dark place.

Setting an example to the kids is another motivation, as is instilling in them a love of walking and the outdoors.” – Emma Smith

### ‘I decided being healthy is more important than housework’

“When I took a job working 45-50 hours per week, I was worried I’d get no exercise at all. But I started getting up a little earlier to walk first thing, then take 20 minutes to do an extra mile at lunchtime.

I also thought about where walking fits in my priority list, and decided being healthy is more important to me than finishing the housework! In my lunchtime walks I often reflect on something going on in work, maybe a decision that needs making. Thinking through options away from my desk usually brings clarity on the best answer. When I get out for a longer walk I love the sense of calm that arrives when my various trains of thought reach their destinations. Appreciating being in the wild, and the fitness and map reading that got me there, never fails to put a smile on my face!” – Kate Elizabeth

### ‘My ‘me time’ is so precious’

“I’m a carer for my adult son, whom I love dearly, but I cherish my opportunity to get out every day for some fresh air and ‘me time’. This is important firstly for my physical health – having lost a lot of weight, I need to maintain it so I'm here a bit longer for my son. The second, and most important, is my mental health – I appreciate time with no distraction to gather my thoughts and keep on top of life in general. I was a mental health practitioner in my former life and I'm now trying to practise what I preached.” – Elaine Ong

“I can only get walks in at weekends and it's my time. It's time for me to think and to de-stress. I’m probably not going to complete 1000 miles, but the challenge is making me go out for a walk, rather than sit on the sofa doing nothing.” – Emma Harding

“I work 9½ hours a day five days a week, I'm on call for work one weekend in every four, and, most importantly, I have my boys every other weekend and at least once during the week, so my spare time is limited. But I try and get in a walk after work every day, and every now and then I get a good walk in at the weekend. What’s really motivating me is I record little videos on my walks to share in the Facebook group, to let people know not every walk has to be an awe inspiring scenic view.” – Wayne Turner

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