Walking is a unique activity as it is both cheap, healthy and relaxing at the same time. It is convenient enough for most of us to step out of our houses for a stroll around our neighbourhood, or some of us may even live close to a park or woodland area. Once you have walked a few routes back to front, in each direction and explored every side lane, it is time to go further afield which means hopping into the car and driving to a new area. Driving is notoriously a stressful and tiring activity as the driver needs to negotiate through traffic and road junctions, not to mention the time of sitting cooped up in a cramped space with limited air circulation. Also, if the walk ends near a pub then the driver is forced to opt for a pint of Coke or juice rather than the local ale.
What alternative is there to travel to a new area? Public transport is an ideal solution to avoid the stress of driving. Most of us choose to live at last within commuting distance of a large town or city. This proximity means that we are likely to live within range of a bus or train network. Most transport networks run from city centres into the countryside.
There should be at least a bus stop or train station within a mile of your house, which makes it only a short walk to have a stress-free trip to explore a different suburb. Take a look at a map of your town and identify which bus stops and stations are close to parks and nature reserves. Buses are more likely to take you closer to a park since they are not limited by rails, but then trains can take you to explore areas in another town or more rural areas. Even better, you could also combine a train with a bus. It may take a little more planning by checking timetables, although even this task has been made easier with the Internet and smart phones. There are many web sites and apps available to look up train and bus times.
A common complaint against public transport is the cost, especially when more than one person is travelling. However, train and bus companies usually have several forms of group discount, whether in the form of a family rail card or discounts for unrelated groups of three or more persons. Sometimes this can be a discount of 25% off a full price ticket per person. Compare this with the costs of fuel, MOT, servicing, tax, insurance and wear and tear which exists for a car. Even if all the costs weigh up in favour of the car, then there is still the element of stress to consider, and not to forget the tiredness of the driver after the walk.
If that isn't enough for you to consider giving up the car, then there is another bonus to not driving. Have you ever thought that you'd like to finish a walk in a different place than you started? That is near impossible with a car. You need at least two drivers, two cars and more time to ferry passengers between start and end points. Linear walking is easy on public transport; simply hop off at one stop and walk to another. Fare zones normally radiate outwards from a town centre which allows you to take a trip to the end of one route, then walk to the end of another route to catch a trip back to the centre. This is especially useful in the South Wales valleys, where each train line runs from Cardiff to towns through each valley which provides an ideal route for a linear walk from one valley to another.
Finally, from a wider point of view, taking the train or bus is not only more environmentally friendly than the car, the additional revenue will help the transport companies to improve their service. Their services currently run at over full capacity during peak commuting times, but, with the exception of one-off events, are often nearly empty outside of these times. This trend has forced the companies into maximising their revenue by introducing high ticket prices for peak travel times. If more of us use public transport for leisure activities, then perhaps it may encourage the companies to adjust their pricing systems to offer fairer ticket prices and better services overall.
I am a keen walker based near Cardiff in South Wales, which puts me within an hour's drive of the mountains of the Brecon Beacons, whilst still enjoying the spectacular scenery of the Welsh coastline.
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