I don’t know about you, but I feel alive when I am outdoors, and what can be better than spending time walking around the beautiful Isle of Man. There is such a variety of walks, from strolls along the beach, along forgotten railway trails, down the (often steep) wooded glens with secret waterfalls tucked inside, across the windswept moors, or over the switchback hills. I won’t call them mountains as we only have the one over 2,000ft and that is Snaefell. All this in an island 32 miles long and 14 miles wide at best.
The purpose of this blog is to share with you some of the many and varied walks I undertake. I aim for one ‘long’ walk per week, long being a minimum of 6 miles, which isn’t really very long, but it can be up to 10 or 12 miles if I have the time. If I remember to set my Garmin, I record the route which I will post with photos taken en route on my mobile. More often I do shorter daily walks between 3-5 miles. I am fortunate in that I am spoiled for choice of route where I live, so I never get bored.
I usually manage the recommended 10,000 steps minimum per day (5 miles) and of course most hiking involves a degree of ascent, so quite often I add to my intensity minutes for the week. Given this helps the bones, muscles, heart and lungs to stay strong and as a by-product keeps the weight off, it is also a healthy hobby. On a planned longer walk I often aim for a brisk walk for the first hour with odd stops to take in the scenery and then I take the rest in a more relaxed manner.
Walking at any speed is always better than sitting on your bum, but casual and intermittent walking doesn’t really have much of a health benefit, although it is good for the soul. For health benefits you need to feel you have done it, and exploring your local countryside is a great way to do it!
So, to get started on the next page, I will shortly upload details of my walk on 7th August 2018.
Gill's Isle of Man Walks 