Get Outside, and feel good this Christmas!

‘These boots were made for walking’ sang Nancy Sinatra. And what’s good enough for Nancy is good enough for us!  Here at Kennet Radio, we’ve been dusting down our walking boots, shaking out our kagouls and striding out into the Great Outdoors.  

Getting outside over the Christmas holidays is a great way to improve mental and physical health, especially at this difficult time. – And it’s something we can still take part in during Tier 4 restrictions. 

It’s long been known that walking is an excellent exercise – just 15 minutes gets your system going, and releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones.   

At the moment, we’re being asked to take exercise near our homes. There are many local destinations which make up a Winter Wonderland at this time of year: 

Destinations 

One venue which has wheel-chair accessible facilities and an adventure playground for children is Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre. There is a network of footpaths ranging from small family-friendly walks to longer paths for the more adventurous.   Click this link for more details.

Hungerford Common, or Common Port Down to give one of its many other names, is 220 acres (89 hectares) of ancient common land, permanent pasture, mature trees, and canal to the east of Hungerford.  Click this link for more details.

Footpaths 

Find somewhere new ! Hundreds of miles of local footpaths to explore, including Inkpen, Speen Moors and Bucklebury, are listed here on the West Berkshire Council website.   The Ordnance Survey also has an excellent website ‘Get Outside’ with ideas for walks, advice on layering clothes, and many more ideas to join in with. 

Parks 

Local parks include Victoria Park, Goldwell Park, City Playground (Newbury), and Furze Parks, Kintbury.  

In Newbury, we spoke to local resident and healthcare professional Fiona Dickens at Wash Common Recreation Ground. She told us:

Tier 4 can be a bit depressing, but at least I can go out for a walk. We are really lucky to have a range of local green spaces and parks in and around Newbury so we can get out and about.   

Here’s a few more ideas recommended by our team at Kennet Radio: 

• The Chase, Woolton on Hill
• Greenham Common
• Hungerford Marshes
• The Kennet and Avon Canal Path
• Newtown Common
• Penwood
• Snelsmore Common 

So why not join with us – Get Outside, and feel good this Christmas.