Urban walking

Date walked: Monday, 1 September 2008
Distance walked: 11.4 miles
Started: 10:30am
Finished: 3.45pm
Food and drink: A pasta salad eaten on a bench outside Tescos, Hamilton. A pint of ale at The Cow and Plough.
Weather: Mixed. Bright spells, mainly overcast, occasional very slight drizzle.


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The long walk that I'm planning (more details soon) will involve a high proportion of road-walking, and a bit of pavement-walking too.

I thought I should try walking the streets for recreation, as well as a way of getting to places and people in my daily work. So yesterday I set off through Evington, Thurnby Lodge, Humberstone, Hamilton and Scraptoft. My homeward route brought me onto roads without pavements from Thurnby to Stoughton and back again.

I felt a bit odd wearing a small daysack and carrying an OS map but it was a pleasant enough experience. There were a lot more people around than in the countryside for a start, just going about their business. And it was interesting to peer into people's front gardens, to see the schools and shops in streets that I've never been on before.

I won't claim that it was a spectacular walk, but I was pleased to have been able to do it. With something to look at all the time, it certainly wasn't boring.