Getting from A to B the active way

Swapping a car journey for a walk or cycle is one of the easiest ways you can be kind to our environment and help to reduce air pollution. It also helps you to increase your step count, discover new places you can’t take a car to and it’s much less stressful than sitting in traffic. If you’re thinking of giving active travel a go, read our tips below on how to make your journey a pleasure.

1. Start small

If you’re not sure how far or how fast you can walk or cycle, begin by swapping a short, simple car journey. Try walking the kids to school instead of driving, or walk to the nearest shop next time you’re out of milk. After you’ve done this a few times, you’ll have a good idea of how long the journey takes, and you’ll be able to use this information to help plan longer trips.

2. Plan your route

If you’re looking for the best route to take you to your destination safely, a bit of research always helps. There’s lots of online planning tools available, such as Cyclestreets or PlotARoute. Google Maps provides you with many different route options for the same journey, and can also give you an estimated amount of time it’ll take to walk or cycle. You can also “walk” your route virtually, before you go, by checking it out on Google Streetview.

3. Dress for the weather

In Scotland, dressing for the weather often means taking an umbrella or waterproof coat with you everywhere you go…just in case! Comfy, water resistant shoes are also a good idea, because no-one’s got time for soggy socks.

4. Find out more about your destination

In case you do get caught in some glorious Scottish summer rain, it might be good to know if there’s a bathroom or changing facilities at your destination to dry off in. Stay safe by keeping up-to-date with the latest Covid-19 guidance, and don’t forget to check if there’s any local restrictions in place at your destination.  

5. Go sightseeing

Is there somewhere not too far from your route that looks like it could be worth exploring? Stopping to admire a stunning view or taking a detour through a park is a great way of adding some extra enjoyment to your walk or cycle. If you’ve got time, you could even choose to take a different route to and from your destination, to discover more about the local area.

Have you swapped a car journey for a walk recently? Tell us all about it at walkatwork@pathsforall.org.uk