Every May marks “National Walking Month”, a month designed to encourage us to get outdoors and move more, with a long list of health benefits attached.
In London, most of us are guilty of defaulting to taking the tube to work instead of walking (even for short distances), but for many of us this results in a rather sweaty and unpleasant ride. What many tube commuters don’t realise (or forget) is that whilst they are travelling underground, they are missing out on some of the most magical sights that a historical city like London has to offer.
WeWard, the app that motivates you to walk, wanted to draw attention to the iconic sights Londoners miss each day by being underground and shared sightseeing maps for four of London’s most popular tube lines: Central, Piccadilly, Northern and Bakerloo. The aim? To encourage you to up your steps during and beyond National Walking Month, reaping the many benefits of walking such as improved mental and physical health, and 24-year-old Jess Bromham found that it did just that.
Inspired by the routes, Jess decided to take on the challenge and swapped her usual tube sweats for street steps during May. After just one week, Jess said she noticed a major shift in both her mental and physical health. Jess says “I completely underestimated the impact that swapping the tube for a walk would have on my mental health when I started WeWard’s National Walking Month challenge.
I have found I turn up to work much brighter and relaxed for not having to have squeezed myself on to the tube on the short ride to work. Walking means I spend time away from my phone before and after work, allowing me to decompress.”
Jess added “I would say I even look forward to commuting now as the routes I take pass really interesting spots and beautiful. It’s crazy that I had no idea I was passing them underground on the tube each day.
If you’ve been inspired by Jess’ stories, why not try three of the four routes and start appreciating the city whilst upping those steps.
The Central Line Walk
Try heading from Liverpool Street one of London’s major transport hubs to Marble Arch taking in the sights at Bank of the City followed by the magnificent St. Pauls Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and onwards to Marble Arch where the gruesome Tyburn gallows once stood.
The Piccadilly Line Walk
From the melting pot of Hammersmith in the west through the cultural hub of Kynance Mews through to the exclusive Knightsbridge and Hyde Park Corner areas where you get to see how the other half live and onto an old royal hunting ground in Green Park, once full of deer and game and now full of people.
The Northern Line Walk
The sights of Highgate Cemetery where Karl Marx among others are buried to one of London’s surprisingly numerous city farms to the fashion mecca that is Camden Town and onto Tottenham Court Road to indulge in some retail therapy.
Try Something New
Great for physical and mental health and helping you stay connected to the community you either live or work in. walking and looking around your environment can improve your overall wellbeing and now as the weather starts to increase in temperature is the perfect time for this walking adventure.
