Keeping fit and healthy, both in mind and in body, is the best way to ensure that you get to work most days and avoid unwanted illnesses. As the old saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure’, so pursuing a healthy way to live means that you will be better prepared to fight off those unwelcome little bugs and viruses.
To help in that aim you don’t have to be an exercise addict that spends hours down the gym honing their bodies. For the vast majority keeping fit involves a sensible diet and moderate but regular exercise, and what better way to get that than by exploring Britain’s beautiful hidden countryside!
Many of the best parts of rural Britain and some of the most stunning views are accessible only by foot, and offer glimpses of a stunning undiscovered country. Tranquil, quiet and unfettered walking trails offer a chance to escape from the hurried pace of everyday life and to allow for a period of reflection. Depending upon personal preference there are many different types of walks; flat with only a few inclines or hilly walks that take in many steep ascents and descents offering spectacular vistas.
Fantastic country walks can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of the UK ranging from only a few miles to hundreds of miles long, such as the longest National Trail in the country – the Pennine Way. One of the North of England’s epic trails, the Pennine Way stretches south from Kirk Yetholm in Scotland through the Cheviots, North Pennines, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and finally culminating at Edale in the Derbyshire Peak District; a distance of 256 miles. Along its entire length the views are spectacular and miles from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Amongst the many benefits of regularly walking and keeping fit and healthy is that
health insurance is less likely to be called upon. Whether tackling the Pennine Way or just walking to the local shops rather than jumping into the car it is beneficial to both you and the environment as regular exercise, even if it is just walking helps keep you healthy. So, if the Pennine Way is too ambitious a target then there are plenty of alternatives. The East of England, particularly in Norfolk, offers flatter, shorter and gentler alternatives such as those contained within the Lee Valley Regional Park.
Other tranquil walks in the region include Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path, or further down the coast in the south-east region there are no less than 12 areas of outstanding natural beauty and all can be accessed by walking. And that is just the start! Throughout the entire UK there are many walks of equally outstanding beauty just waiting to be discovered!
