Walking virtually
Exploring the world without leaving your home town
Hello again. Lately, I’ve been strolling beside the Regent’s Canal near Little Venice in west London. I head out at lunchtime to get away from my desk for a while, stretch my legs, refresh my mind and boost my energy so I’m ready for the afternoon’s work. Where do you walk to break up your day?
Walking
Don’t let the waterside walk fool you. I’m actually walking the Camino de Santiago – even though I’m hundreds of miles from Spain.
I’m doing it through the Walk the Distance app, which enables you to virtually walk well-trodden paths like the John Muir or Appalachian trails or cities like New York, Rome and Paris. You download the app, sync it with whichever health app or fitness tracker you’re using, and choose the route you want to ‘follow’. The app then tracks the distance you walk each day and plots it against a map of the route to show you where you are on the trail, together with milestone markers with snippets of info about the towns and areas of interest you arrive at virtually.
I like letting the app run quietly in the background, then checking in to see how far I’ve ‘travelled’ simply by taking everyday walks to the shops or to and from meetings. It’s amazing how quickly those steps add up to miles and how those miles eventually add up to an entire trail. And I’m finding it unexpectedly satisfying to see them framed against a route I’d like to do in real life some day. The ‘French Way’, which is the virtual route I’m following, is 930km1 (577 miles) – plus an extra 64km (40 miles) to the Finisterre Lighthouse on the western coast of Spain. It’s a hefty distance – and a huge amount of daily walking for the pilgrims who take it on. But tracking my steps in this way reminds me that you can get anywhere on foot as long as you have enough time.
You can do the walks alone, with friends or in groups – which reminds me of the virtual walk I took with my friend Simon. I think using an app to take a virtual walk with someone could be an interesting way to connect and share a new experience.
If it hadn’t been for this newsletter, I doubt I’d have tried a virtual walking app. I’d much rather find a trail and hike it in real life. But the lovely thing about The Writer’s Walk is that it’s prompting me to explore many different ways of walking, so that I can share it with you in these posts. I’m also mindful that very few people can take on a long-distance trek like the Camino, and many people struggle with even a short stroll – be that for physical, mental, financial or other reasons. So I’m trying to find unexpected ways of walking in the hope it’ll make it accessible for different people with varying needs and interests.
So for your walk this time, I invite you to try a virtual walking app. The one I’m using comes with several walks you can follow for free without having to subscribe. You could also see what else is out there. Here are a few I found, which I’ve not fully explored yet:
Strava – aimed at people who want to get their sweat on, but also has some hiking options
World walking – a free, charity led, initiative to get people walking
Walk 1,000 Miles – an initiative from Country Walking Magazine to motivate people to walk 1,000 miles during 2023
Charity Miles – aimed at people who want to raise money by walking
There a lots more to choose from, so let me know what you find and what works best for you.
Writing
This time we’re going to try some creative writing.
Imagine your perfect walk. This shouldn’t be a walk you’ve taken, or a trail you plan to explore – it should be completely fictional. Think of this exercise as the Fantasy Football of hiking trails. You get to choose your location, the time of year, the weather, the landscape – and even your fellow walkers if you feel like writing someone into your story. Picture the scene, put your pencil to the page and let your imagination take you to a place your feet have yet to touch.
As always, I’d love to hear how you find the walking and writing, so feel free to reply to this message or add a comment.
Until next time,
Sarah
The actual distance of the Camino varies, depending on the source of the info. According to the virtual route I’m following, it’s 930km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela, then an extra 64km to the Finisterre Lighthouse.