Whether it’s a moment to yourself, the chance to talk, or a way to work through the toughest of times, TV star Michelle says walking is always there for you.
Walking has been there for me all through my life.
It all started with my Mum [fellow presenter Mavis Ackerley]. Walking has always been our special time together. We’d head out into the countryside without our phones and take the opportunity to really talk. But sometimes we wouldn’t talk at all. We’d just be silent, listening to the sounds around us, looking at the trees. I realised, even growing up, how many benefits there were to that. Every time I went for a walk, I never came back feeling worse. I always came back feeling better.
I absolutely love Alderley Edge.
I grew up in Cheshire, and the Edge [a tree-covered sandstone ridge overlooking the Cheshire Plain] was my playground. It’s an incredible place. There are caves to explore and at the top, you’re rewarded with a sweeping view across the north-west. I’ve returned there at so many different stages of my life. I took my husband there on one of our first dates!
Walking has been vital for both of us ever since.
We have all sorts of favourite places, like the Lakes and the Suffolk coast. For years we had a New Year’s Eve tradition of getting up at the crack of dawn and walking a marathon. From our house we’d walk into Central London, loop around Hyde Park and then all the way home again. We’d spend the whole day walking, chatting, looking around, taking everything in. It was our special moment, every year.
Walking is how I get under the skin of a place.
Travel has always meant walking for Ben and me. On our honeymoon we travelled to Vancouver, then on to Fiji and Australia. In Vancouver, jet-lagged and wide awake at dawn, we went out and discovered the city step by step. In Sydney we’d catch the ferry to a different bay each morning and spend hours walking the shore. You get a better sense of a place when you walk it.
I never like walking back on myself.
I always prefer a circular route. I like the feeling that everything I’m seeing could be new. Mum and I would often just go rogue: spot a stile we’d never crossed before and see where it led. That sense of adventure is so freeing.
Walking gives you time to talk.
And of course, to listen. It’s very different from a phone call squeezed into a busy day. When you’re walking with someone, there’s no loss of signal, no rush to do the next thing. You can share stories and emotions and truly be present.
In some of the most difficult moments of my life, I’ve turned to walking.
Over a year ago, Ben and I were told that we might not be able to have children. I was suffering from severe endometriosis and had been told the chances of conceiving were slim. We went out and walked and talked; it was all I wanted to do. When I’m dealing with heavy news, the first thing I want is to be outside. There’s something calming about the motion of walking. And here we are a year later, and our daughter Nala is four months old and she’s our world.
Nala is calmest when we’re walking.
We walk in Bushy Park and Richmond Park all the time. At four months old, it’s all sensory: I lower the buggy visor and watch Nala stare up at the trees, listening to the sounds. Seeing her experience it for the first time makes me experience it differently too. Even if I’ve done that walk hundreds of times, it reminds me how special it is.
Walking is also about treats.
What’s a walk up Alderley Edge without a visit to the Wizard Tearoom afterwards for a sultana scone with clotted cream and jam, and a dark hot chocolate?
So for all these reasons, I love Walk1000Miles.
It isn’t about competition or endurance or pitting yourself against someone else. You can make it accessible, enjoyable and inclusive. It can be as simple as a short walk on your lunch break – turning a different corner and seeing what you discover – or choosing to walk for a coffee instead of sitting in the canteen. It can be a small daily act or a great big adventure. It’s something to work towards, but without the pressure we so often put on ourselves. Walking is joyful, freeing and deeply personal – and it can only ever bring benefits.
ABOUT MICHELLE
Michelle presents the BBC’s Morning Live and appears on The One Show, Crimewatch Live and Watchdog. We also loved her CBBC travel show All Over the Place, which she says was often a great excuse for a walk. “We did so much walking on that series,” she says. “It really is how you discover the stories that a place can tell you.”
And if you’d like to see why Alderley Edge is so special, you can get our classic route on your phone via the OS Maps here