WHY I LOVE WALKING! (Peace & Quiet!)

Mum-of-two Jacqui Hawkins shares her real reason for enjoying a good long walk every day

Ah walking, it’s so great for kids right? Makes them sleep better at night, loads them full of vitamin D, helps their eyesight, and all that? Well yes, and I wish I could say that’s why I take mine out every single day. The truth is, most days we only go out because I have a border collie, and a collie without exercise is like a toddler who’s had too much birthday cake (specifically, that birthday cake, when we used so much food dye a friend asked why her kid had gone nuts, and why his teeth were green).

However, we also go out because sometimes, once I’ve Wrestled and bribed both kids into the buggy, it’s quiet for a moment. The baby goes to sleep and my three-year-old might even stop talking. Or asking me what the time is. Or telling me to count to ten and find him, even though I know exactly where he is, because after 17 rounds of hide-and seek, lying face down on the couch is still a stupid place to hide.

The transformation astounds me. We spill out of the front door, with the dog barking and at least one of us howling and usually only partly dressed, and then some kind of magic happens. By the time we’re 200 yards up the road, I can almost hear my brain again.

Sometimes, if I walk far enough, the boy naps too. Then I’m filled with love and amazement as I watch him hunt out bogeys in his sleep.

And very occasionally, I leave the pushchair at home and let him walk too, but only when daddy’s around to carry him and his ‘explorer kit’ home again (Because halfway around, he inevitably decides he doesn’t want to be an explorer anymore, and really who can blame him, given that being an explorer usually ends in a gruesome death anyway, or at the very least, a nasty case of dysentery). 

In any case, the children don’t actually care whether they’re pushed or carried. And they don’t seem to mind where we go, either. BUT, if you are looking for somewhere a bit ‘special’, I do thoroughly recommend these buggy friendly routes, all picked for their wholesome beauty... and perhaps their cafes.

Want some child friendly walks - with advise for pushchairs / wheelchairs. We have copies of Boom Walks available for only £5.99 whilst stock lasts. - Message us on socials or email us at info@boommagazineltd.co.uk