Get a winter wellbeing boost: 3 reasons why walking is not just for summer - even in the Scottish Highlands!
In December we have winter walking day. Read on to find out 3 reasons why walking is good for you - all year round - and three of our favourite local walks here in the Scottish Highlands.
Did you know that the 20th December was winter walking day? It certainly seems like we have a “day” for almost everything now! But walking is SO good for you, it makes sense to encourage people to keep going in the darker months.
No matter where we have lived, we have ALWAYS walked every day. It’s our thinking time, connection time, talking time, resetting time. It does us SO much good. In cities (Stoke, Milton Keynes) we have usually found our way to canal’s as a natural green corridor, but we have also made liberal use of parks (Yeovil, Stoke), rivers (Inverness, Leintwardine), old railway lines (Leek), and national footpaths (Redbrook).
So why is walking so good for you? Here are my 3 top reasons 👇
It’s good for our mood. Being physically active is a mood booster as it releases endorphins. Spending time in nature is also a mood booster! No wonder we always feel better after a good walk then!
Walking helps control weight, combats health issues, and improves our heart health. What's not to love? Studies show that people who walk regularly have increased longevity. Given my desire to be fit and active when I’m older (see this blog post for a cute video of my current fitspiration!) then it’s a complete no-brainer.
It relieves stress and promotes clarity. When I'm worried or overwhelmed, a nice long walk clears my head and helps me straighten out my thoughts.
It’s one of the reasons my walking coaching sessions are popular - there is something about being outside and moving that helps bring clarity.
We are SO lucky to live where we do currently here in the Scottish Highlands. Here are three of our current favourite local walks to inspire you!
Lochandinty Woods
This is our everyday walk. It’s literally right on our doorstep! The woods offer a variety of walk lengths. We can do a quick short circuit from our front door in about 20 minutes - ideal for in the break between coaching calls, or to wake me up at lunch time.
We can also walk right to the end and back, or explore any of the side paths that criss-cross the woods for a longer walk taking anything up to an hour.
Finally when we have plenty of time we can walk through the woods, then up the B road to Croy for a coffee in the Anta Milk Bar cafe before walking back down the hill to Tornagrain.
No wonder we love it here!
Nairn beach
This is a 10 minute drive from us. Nairn has four beaches that all interconnect. You can park at either end of the beach and have a very different walk. One side has a crazy golf, kids playground, and a leisure centre along the beach. It tends to be a bit busier, but there are 3 places you can buy coffee so I like it!
The east beach is much quieter and the beach stretches quite a long way towards Culbin forest. There are sand dunes and it tends to be much emptier which is great for the dog.
Both directions offer walks that can be as long or short as you wish. We have never reached the end of the beach in either direction!
For us this is a walk we do when we want a slower paced stroll, or to sit and watch or listen to the sea. It’s calming in a sensory way, but the walk is a little harder (as sand always is!).
Meall a’ Bhuachaille
The final walk on this list is a much more adventurous one. Aviemore is just 45 minutes drive and we are SO lucky to have this so near! We go to Aviemore regularly. Sometimes for a day for a walk / paddleboard / canoe. Sometimes we stay overnight in a hotel, and sometimes we camp.
The Meall a’ Bhuachaille circuit is a much more strenuous walk than the other two but we really enjoyed it when we did it in October.
On the way you pass An Lochan Uaine - the Green lochan which is stunning - and on my list to swim one day!
There are stunning views, and a real sense of achievement when you make it to the top of the corbett (see the hill bagging website here for all the creative ways we categorise hills and mountains in the UK!).
This walk took about 6 hours, and as you can see from this video we took in October, it’s pretty windy at the top - so not one to be done in the depths of winter.
Our go to resource for finding new walks like this in the Highlands is the very excellent Walk Highlands website - why not check it out for inspiration if you are in the Highlands - or planning to visit!
Over to you - where can you get more walking in?
Hopefully this post has inspired you to think about getting more walks in - even in winter. Whilst we are exceptionally lucky right now with our location, we have lived all over the place, in a variety of different types of locations and we have ALWAYS had walks as a part of our regular routine. If we have a couple of days where we don’t get out as much because of illness or weather, we really feel it.
We would LOVE to know where you walk currently! Do you have a favourite?
If you are feeling stuck for ideas and are in the UK why not check out the slow ways website for inspiration?
