Wanderings: Walking from the House

It's good to get a walk. It feels increasingly important to be able to spend time outside and away from the desk and keyboard (OK, so I do sound like a broken record here). It also seems to me to be important to be able to spend time away from the steering wheel.

Over recent months I've found myself reflecting on the value of having the option of a decent walk that one can do without needing to have a 'car commute' added in too.

In Shetland, I regularly head off onto Quendale beach - simply because it's my local 'no-car' walk. Sometimes that walk does just turn out to be a there-and-back walk along the beach. At other times it'll stretch to either the Garth's Ness walk - or even the Fitful Head loop which gives splendid views along the west coast of Shetland.

If I want further variety (on foot from the house), I can also opt to head towards the Pool of Virkie, Grutness Voe and the east coast of Shetland which isn't much further away. Shetland might be best part of 80 miles from top to bottom - but it's very narrow. I've seen it suggested that nowhere in Shetland is more than three miles from the sea - I've always been a bit skeptical about that number, I'm pretty sure it's not that far.

Quendale Bay

Wick of Shunni, West coast of Shetland

Orca in Grutness Voe, East coast Shetland

In Oxford, there isn't any (obvious) walk from the house that involves sea cliffs, beaches or whales, there are however quite a few that involve nature reserves and woodlands. My regular walks locally involve the BBOWT C S Lewis nature reserve and on into Shotover Country Park, or down the local streets to the lovely Lye Valley.

Headington also has lots of lanes which give the option of time away from traffic - I often wind up sharing pictures from the lanes or from Mesopotamia on the way into Oxford (and although this post was about no car walks, on that walk there's always the option of getting a bus home).