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Walking with small children can be fun for everyone – and it keeps them, and you, fit and healthy. Andrew McCloy shows the way forward.
Once upon a time, I’m told, children used to walk everywhere. They walked to school or walked to the shops – not so much because they wanted to but because that is what you did (or had to do). Now, however, they pile into the family car for the daily ‘school run’, or the weekly drive to an out-of-town supermarket or shopping mall. The simple pleasure of walking could well become a thing of the past for today’s younger generation – unless we take action soon.
Regular exercise is, of course, a vital component in children’s wellbeing and, alongside sensible eating and a healthy diet, it is something we can all get involved with. Indeed, one of the key attractions of walking, in particular, is that it is a supremely sociable activity that encourages the whole family to get together. It appeals to all ages and is a great way of getting parents and grandparents to share a fun and healthy activity with children, while at the same time exercising themselves.
If, however, the prospect of dragging the kids away from the TV or computer to go for a walk seems daunting, do a little planning first to ensure that the outing is interesting, fun and memorable for everyone.
Where should you go?
An obvious advantage of walking over team sports or organised recreational activities for children is that it is free and you can do it with anyone, almost anywhere. If you live in a city and can spare just a couple of hours, then head for the park, common or towpath. Better still, search out your nearest country park, where there are likely to be picnic areas and way-marked trails. These are usually run by local authorities, so check on their websites or ask at your local library to find out where to go and what you can do there. (Many put on themed wildlife or history walks especially for families and children.)
Further afield, there is a wealth of glorious countryside to discover in this small island nation of ours. There are regular programmes of Ranger-led family walks in National Parks; sculpture trails and discovery walks in Forestry Commission woodlands; or you could simply head for a stretch of coastal path and let the sea air fill your nostrils and allow the children to tear off across the sand towards the rockpools.
The Ramblers’ Association organises group walks around Britain specifically aimed at people with young children (visit its website www.ramblers.org.uk/walksfinder for details), as do the National Trust and the various Wildlife Trusts. Should this be the first time you have taken your children or grandchildren on a proper outing into the great outdoors, these are all good options.
If you want to look closer to home or do your own thing, however, visit a bookshop or library and select the appropriate Ordnance Survey map (the orange-covered 1:25,000 Explorer series is the most detailed) and plot an interesting and varied walking route using local paths and public rights of way.
Alternatively, there are a growing number of family walks guidebooks with well-researched routes for all ages and abilities, including notes on what to look out for along the way. It really does mean that choosing where to go is very easy – so go on, best foot forward!
What to do en route
In my experience, the key thing is to make the walk interesting and fun. It is remarkable how much energy children really have and how far they can walk if sufficiently motivated, but don’t overdo it to start with.
A keen and experienced walker myself, I found that outings with my young daughter called for a complete change of exercising style. Instead of a steady pace it became stop-start: there were constant halts and diversions for toilet stops, refreshments and general exploring; and I was soon evaluating distance and terrain, potential mud and even road crossings in a very different way.
Not unnaturally, a lot of children simply won’t buy the idea of walking for walking’s sake, so make sure you get your marketing skills finely honed. A walk can become a discovery trail: take binoculars and identify 20 different birds on your walk; pack a guidebook and name 10 different meadow flowers or various woodland fungi; carry some small nets and stop by a stream for a spot of impromptu pond- dipping. Alternatively, plot a route that visits a ruined building or folly and invent some ghost stories; or make the centrepiece of the walk a National Trust property or other local attraction.
For older children, in particular, a walk in the countryside is the perfect opportunity to learn some basic navigation skills and map reading, and if they really take to it, encourage them to plan their own routes.
Since you want to make walking as pleasurable as possible, let the child walk with siblings or allow them to take a friend, so they can enjoy the shared sense of exploration and discovery with their own age group (peers can be much more fun than parents!) Waterside walking, in particular, is always enjoyable, with opportunities for paddling and Pooh-sticks, but do be mindful of the safety issues in this environment.
Try to avoid walking on roads and keep crossing over to a minimum. If possible, when plotting your walk, identify a suitable picnic site or café stop, either as a break in the middle of a long walk or as a reward at the end. Potential escape routes and shortcuts are always worth considering before you set off, especially if the weather turns nasty or when that last little hill may prove to be too much.
It is also very important to generate a sense of achievement in what you and your children are doing – even going for a two-mile walk is more than some young people manage in a year.
What should they wear?There is really no need to go and buy lots of expensive walking gear, unless you really want to. After your little darling has outgrown the front papoose, then the backpack baby-carrier, it is time to toddle off down that path in anything you care to dress them in.
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