Colchester Walk to Work's shoes are on again.

For followers of this particular blog trail, your host is back from his backpacking trip in Scotland in May. Four days cross country from Glenelg on the west coast to Invergarry in the Great Glen. Since then, at Colchester2020 Travel Plan Club, we've been busy with car sharing schemes, bus promotions, train discounts, car clubs, cycling for transport and health, smarter driving .... oh yes, and running the club. BUT NOW, WALKING IS BACK!!!!!

And lots has happened since May. Our first Walk to Work Week in April went well, with lots of media interest in the idea of promoting walking as transport, and for fun and good health too. The two Colchester walking maps have proved to be very popular, with repeat orders from most of our distributors, and very good feedback from our customers.

"YES, BUT WHAT'S NEXT?" I hear you say. Well, walking is for all seasons, not just for summer, so we're going against the grain and promoting winter walking, starting with a "winter walk to work week", Monday 25 October to Sunday 31 October. During the week, we'll be launching a media campaign, and will be having some special events.... and that's the subject of another posting.

Gone for a walk.

Colchester Walk to Week's over, and your blogmaster is going for a walk. I'm backpacking in the Scottish Highlands, and will be completely out of touch, so no stories from me on here for a while. This is a picture of my solo tent, early one morning east of Knoydart, last May. Much as I enjoy my walk to work, a change of scenery is welcome. And happy trails to you too.

You'll never walk alone?

Thanks to Alan Hardy for his talk today at Castle Park bandstand. A small audience enjoyed his tales of life afoot, starting with his excitement as a young boy, when Everest was first climbed. (1953 for those who want to estimate Alan's age without chopping his leg off and counting the rings.) Young Alan imitated the adventure by putting a stick in the top of a pile of rubble on a demolition site. Alan expressed concern that today's young people are not given the opportunity to explore and play like that, and so may never get the bug for adventure outdoors.

Alan chatted about his hikes across the Scottish highlands, and in the Himalayas. But it wasn't all about walking and fording rivers, it was about people he met on the way, and a bit about food and drink - well you do get an appetite don't you?

The audience were interested in the differences between solo trips, and walking with another person or in a group. Alan had no particular preference; each option had its advantages and downside. Walking alone meant that you would see more of the natural world; groups of people make more noise and smell, which means less animals and birds to see. Besides, some people are driven crazy by their own company after a couple of hours! The audience enjoyed Alan's company for 45 minutes. Look out for him giving illustated talks to local groups after the summer.

Talking about walking can also be dangerous

The "Hiking Hardy" event in Castle Park on Thursday 29 April is shaping up. Not only do we have a celebrity speaker, we have a venue confirmed, and a RISK ASSESSMENT. Quite rightly, we have to consider carefully what we have planned, and what could go wrong, so this is not a "elf and safetee gone mad" rant.

Alan will meet us all at the Bandstand in Castle Park, please be there for 12:30. Alan may be familiar to some of you, as he is a regular speaker at local clubs and societies. But "Hiking Hardy" is a bit different to his more usual format. With his evening shows, he chats to his audience, with a backdrop of his super collection of slides. (Yes, he does "magic lantern", he shines a powerful light through a piece of transparent film; he hasn't yet gone digital.) In Castle Park it will be different. Last week I asked him about what he had planned, to help me with the risk assessment. He replied:

"Demonstration of use of crampons for climbing up and over the band stand roof and sharp pointed ice axe to arrest slip down far side, followed by a climb of the north face of the Castle and abseiling down using the sacred tree as an anchor. And finally opening the Middle Mill Sluice Gates to create a torrent to demonstrate the art of river crossings. And if I can find a friendly farmer to erect an electric fence ... Enough to go on?"

I think ???? he's joking????? My risk assessement was "public disorder" and "people tripping over", bascially things that can happen anytime, anywhere. The question is, will we need crowd control, as it's a free event and no booking procedures? We have capacity for thousands. Alan is walking to our event, as part of his training for a backpacking trip, coast to coast across the Scottish Highlands in May. I look forward to hearing his tales.

Walking can be dangerous

It's official. Walking can be hazardous to your health. A London Borough recently produced a list of ideas to help their staff with health and wellbeing, and to address the obesity epidemic. Included in their list was the suggestion that people could use the office stairs rather than the lift.

A risk assessment of the suggestions was undertaken, and the advice that people could use the stairs was taken out, as the stairs are hazardous. I sought clarification, and was asked not to say which authority this was. When pressed, they couldn't say whether the risk was the stairs themselves, or the possibility that staff might overdo it before becoming fit for the task.

The signs in my photo are at Rowhedge moorings, from the riverside public footpath, warning us about the potential for falling off, or tripping over. Walking is such an extreme sport.

the adventure starts on your doorstep

Walking adventures don't have to be that once-in-a-lifetime trip. You can start your adventure today, from your own doorstep. What's great about walking is that you don't need to be in a special place, have special equipment, or find lots of time. You can do it from home, in ordinary clothes, and use it for some of your daily trips.

Whether it's a backpacking trip in the Scottish Highlands, or you're just popping to the corner shop, there's always something to see. More than most other interests, walking can fit in seamlessly with your "normal" life.

Why "COLCHESTER WALK TO WORK"? It's a project launched in 2010 to encourage people to take up walking in Colchester, as part of their daily life. Come and join us on our journey. Fancy boots not necessary.