Walking Peter Tranter
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Framlingham Castle , Suffolk , England Surrounded by lush green fields , woods and village walks , it ’ s hard to go wrong with this stunning location with the castle at its heart . Framlingham is Ed Sheeran ’ s home town and keep an eye open for locations of the BBC comedy / drama the Detectorists .
That ’ s easy , take your dog . Not only do you receive all the benefits listed above but there ’ s strong evidence that it has exactly the same effect on your best friend . Having said that , I like to spice things up a little and try to make sure I don ’ t follow the same route twice every ten days . In fact I would go as far to say outside of the winter months , I do not follow the same route for a month or more – why should I ? I have around 150 different walks and all within something like a 10-mile radius . There ’ s a myriad of town / city walks and public footpaths to find with only the minimum of research needed for doing so with Google maps and FootPathMap (
https :// footpathmap . co . uk ).
It ’ s also useful to know a diverse range of routes through the seasons and what the weather can throw at us . I use urban routes much more in the winter , instead of muddy tracks . As owners of small dogs , we all know how closer their undercarraiges are to the ground , and just how much dirt and mud that attracts . However , also having a good knowledge of woods and forests for warmer summer walks where the dogs can enjoy the shade and reduced temperatures is very useful too . And then there are also those beautiful open spaces for us to enjoy in the cooler big skies of spring and autumn .
There ’ s also an excitement at finding somewhere new or a hidden gem you come across that you didn ’ t expect and that ’ s a very good reason why to not stop discovering and finding new places . It ’ s also a very useful way to find out more on the very place you live and its surroundings , particularly in urban areas and very satisfying too .
So walking is known to be a therapeutic form of exercise , so it follows that having a dog by your side reduces the stress again , whilst enhancing the experience . The added sensation of discovering somewhere new adds to the feeling of wellbeing , prods the imagination and ensures the overall feeling is one of accomplishment and satisfaction and
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Issue 1 : Winter 2020 / 21