Top Tips for Walking
With the weather getting warmer, more of us at CCH have been enjoying walks in our local areas. Deb, our Health Referral Advisor, has been particularly enjoying walks around Chester and is here to share her top tips for getting the most out of your walks as well as a few of her favourite routes!
Deb’s top tips for walking
Walking is great for your mental and physical health, especially during lockdown where we may not be moving as much as usual. Here are some useful tips to remember when you’re out and about:
- Wear comfortable shoes and layer up with warm clothes – you can always take off layers if you get warm!
- Try allowing your location on Google maps on your phone, as this will show you how far you’ve walked and help you keep track of where you’re going. You can then find a history of your walks on the Google maps timeline.
- Wear a smart watch or download a pedometer app onto your phone to help you count your steps, you could challenge yourself to increase your step count over time or have a friendly competition with your household! A good app to try is ‘Map My Walk’.
- If you’re going for a long walk take a bottle of water to keep hydrated and maybe even a healthy snack!
- If you’re going for a walk alone make sure you tell someone where you’re going and keep yourselves safe.
- Take a carrier bag with you – you never know what you might find!
Walking routes in Chester
Chester has lots of beautiful walks. A fun one to try is the millennium trail in the city centre – a walk which covers 40 of Chester’s iconic buildings. It takes around 2 hours to complete and follows small plaques set into the pavements which you may not have noticed before! Their website will tell you all you need to know.
Another nice walk is along the Chester city walls. It’s a 2 mile walk in which you’ll see the beauty of the Chester Groves, racecourse, castle, water tower gardens, Cathedral grounds and much more (unfortunately there are a few steps so not suitable for wheelchair/prams).
For those of us who enjoy photography, there’s a Facebook group called ‘Chester Present Day’ where members can post their pictures of Chester and chat with others about the beautiful city! Getting to hear different people’s stories and memories of Chester is a treat and could be a fun social activity for those feeling a bit isolated during the pandemic.
Get out and about in your local area!
There are lots of country parks, woodlands and nature reserves across West Cheshire, click here for some inspiration!