with Amy Martin of Sustrans

There’s a real chill in the air as we approach the end of November, which can make the thought of exercise that little less appealing.

But with the festive season approaching and the excess that normally comes with it, it’s important to keep you and your family fit and active.

Walking is a great way to way to stay healthy and you don’t need any special gear or knowledge to be able to do it. Just make sure you have comfy shoes and wrap up warm.

You can incorporate walking into your daily routine with a little planning. Build it up gradually and make it work for you so it’s manageable.

Why not try walking to the shops? You can take a rucksack or a shopping trolley to carry your purchases home again.

You could also try picking up your child from school by foot and look out for wildlife on the way home – you may be surprised at what you can see, and even in Swindon’s urban environment there are plenty of quiet, off-road walking routes to catch a glimpse of some nature.

If you live and work in Swindon, then you have more than 100km of walking routes on your doorstep to get you around the town, enabling you to have a pleasant journey and beat the traffic, while being active.

Walking doesn’t just need to be a means of getting from A to B.

A family outing to somewhere like Lydiard Park or Town Gardens is a lovely way to spend quality time together, explore the local area and of course, get those legs moving.

And if it rains? Put on some waterproofs and get out there! You’ll appreciate that lovely cup of tea all the more when you get home.

You can find hints and advice on local walking routes at www.swindontravelchoices.co.uk/walk or you can request free information about walking in Swindon from www.beatswindontraffic.co.uk