We’re incredibly lucky living in Derbyshire. We have the Derbyshire Dales and the Peak District on our doorstep, along with beautiful parks, woodland, riverside paths, villages, and miles of countryside to explore.

But you don’t always need to head into the hills or travel miles from home to have a really good walk.

Some of the best walks can be the ones we do regularly.

The same walk is never quite the same

I’ve walked some of our local routes hundreds of times over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced exactly the same walk twice.

The seasons change. The light changes. The wildlife changes. Paths that are dry and dusty in summer can be muddy and completely different underfoot a few months later.

And, of course, this is Derbyshire – sometimes the weather can change several times during the same walk!

Walking regularly in the same area also means you begin to notice things you might otherwise miss. The first signs of spring, leaves beginning to turn in autumn, a new view through the trees or simply how different somewhere looks in the morning light
Familiar doesn’t have to mean boring

There can be a temptation to think that a walk needs to be somewhere new, longer or more challenging to be worthwhile.

It doesn’t.

A familiar route has its own advantages. You know roughly what to expect, which can make it easier to simply get out and walk. You can also begin to notice your own progress.

That hill might not feel quite as steep as it once did. You may feel more confident over uneven ground or notice that you’re recovering more quickly after a climb.

Those small changes matter.

Walking locally makes being active easier

I’ve always believed that consistency, rather than perfection, is what makes the biggest difference to our health and fitness.

And local walking makes consistency much easier.

You don’t need a whole free day, a long drive or lots of planning. Sometimes an hour or so outdoors is exactly what you need.

When being active becomes part of your normal week rather than something that requires a huge amount of effort to organise, it’s much easier to keep doing it.

It’s about the people too

Of course, there’s another part of local walking that has very little to do with the actual route.

It’s the people you share it with.

One of the strongest messages from our recent customer survey was how important the friendships and sense of connection within our groups have become.

Over time, places become associated with people and memories.

There’s the hill where you had that conversation. The muddy section everyone still talks about. The bench where the group always seems to stop. And, very importantly, the café where everyone ends up afterwards!

For many of us, walking isn’t simply about the miles we’ve covered. It’s part of our social lives too.

We’re spoilt for choice in Derbyshire

From regular walks around Kedleston Park and Allestree Park, to all the locations around Ashbourne and Belper, the Derbyshire Dales and the Peak District, there’s an enormous variety of countryside available to us.

You can walk through woodland one day, across open countryside another and head into the hills when you fancy something more adventurous.

But I don’t think we should overlook the familiar places close to home.

Sometimes the best walk isn’t the longest, highest or most adventurous.

It’s simply the one that gets you outside, gets you moving, gives you time with other people and leaves you feeling better than when you started.

So next time you walk somewhere you’ve been many times before, don’t dismiss it as “the same old route.”

Look around.

You might be surprised by what you notice this time.

A thought from Sam

What’s the local walk, view or Derbyshire place that you never get tired of?