Take a walk with me....

I CAN’T say that I was ever a walker. Except Duke of Edinburgh awards, I wasn’t what you would call an outdoorsy type as a teen.

I walked out of necessity, whether to school along a terraced street and across a busy road; down a path from my flat to university and later to a bus stop to get to work or the pub, but I would never describe my life pre-30 as being that of a rambler.

Upon giving birth to my first child, walking became very regular. Many family members and I walked and pushed her pram for hours.

Those beautiful bright blue eyes would gaze over her blankets with a knowing look that said, "We all know I may or may not sleep, but if you stop, I might just scream..."

I met friends and we walked our babies through parks and walking to the shops was often just easier than the whole buggy on bus kerfuffle or the engineering degree that it often felt was a requirement to suss out the ‘car seat/ buggy folding’ faff.

But then there came a moment where walking ceased to be done simply out of necessity and instead, became something of a choice activity. It happened about four years ago. I’m not sure if it happened because of the age of my children or the age of me, but quite likely, I think it is a combination of both with the addition of geography.

Living in the Penarth area we are quite spoilt with stunning, accessible places to meander and in taking advantage of these opportunities to ramble, we realise that walking is about so much more than putting one foot in front of the other in an exercise in lumbering your body from point A to point B.

Recently my friend Suzie and I power walked and talked around parts of Cosmeston previously undiscovered to me. I had no idea I could traipse through fields and down trails and emerge by Sully Road, a quaint church and Old Cogan Hall Farm, which apparently is one of the oldest farms in Penarth.

Likewise, I was recently wandering through the fields of Sully Seafront and whilst there, kicked a football around with my children and gazed across to Sully Island, a walk that you can do and adventure to embark upon, whilst adhering very closely to safety advice and certainly tide times.

I may fancy discovering my inner George from The Famous Five, but I have no desire to be in the book titled, Five get stuck on Sully Island and rescued by the Coast Guard, thank you.

Walking for pleasure, alone or with others gives us time and opportunity to talk, muse and let our thoughts meander. It lets both chatter and silence, flow. It gives space away from home, work, TV and other distractions.

Walking exposes us to new sights, sounds, smells, textures and provides the chance to open our minds and I’ve always been up for that.