Why should I walk in Calderdale?
Walking, for many, is the easiest way to get active – it’s free, you don’t need any equipment and you can do it right from your front door. All that seems pretty obvious, but did you know that as little as 30 minutes+ of walking can help you to:
- Improve your physical health – anything from just 30 minutes of activity per week can help you to get fitter and combat many long term conditions
- Improve your mental health – studies show that increased physical activity can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression
- Save time – in many cases, replacing a short car journey by walking can save you time, there’s no traffic and no parking needed
- Save money – no more paying for petrol or parking
- Save the environment – the more car or bus journeys that you can replace with walking, the smaller your carbon footprint will be
Don’t just take our word for it; here are some stories from Calderdale residents who have felt the benefits of walking:
- The Calderdale and Kirklees Recovery College have found walking to be a useful tool for their mental health – watch our video.
Getting into Walking
It’s easy to get walking in Calderdale, but everyone is at a different point in their journey, so here are some resources to get you started no matter what your level is:
- This webpage from the NHS has lots of advice for walking as a form of exercise
- Age UK has produced this handy page for Walking tips and advice for older people
- You can walk in your local area, right from your front door - but if you're looking for some walking routes, try this page from Visit Calderdale
Walking around Calderdale
We’re making it easier to walk around Calderdale. If you’re walking to commute, get the kids to school, or just for fun, then we’re working with organisations and institutions across the borough to make it safer and easier for you.
- We’re opening up new cycling and walking lanes for you across the borough, read more about the plans in this release from CMBC.
- Our School Streets program has massively increased safety and air quality outside of our schools at key times – read more on school streets in this release from CMBC.