Richard, works in Derby

“I love my journey on foot because… it keeps me active”

I live in Littleover and work in the centre of Derby. One day it hit me that that only exercise I was getting was the ten yard walk from my house to the car in the morning and back again at night. I was driving to work, parking up right outside and then using the lift to get my office where I spent most of the day sat at a desk. I figured that I needed to change something so I decided to give walking to work a go.

It’s about three miles each way so I don’t do it every day, but I try to do it at least one or two mornings a week and then either walk home if it’s nice or catch the bus. Now I’ve discovered that the bus is so easy too, I’ve even started catching it to work and back on non-walking days. I love the way that as soon as I sit down on the bus I can catch up with work emails on my phone so I know what to expect when I arrive at the office. This just isn’t possible when I drive in. It means I can start my work day a bit earlier and get things done sooner. Sometimes I even check my emails when I walk in although I do have to be careful not to walk into lamp-posts, signs or trip over any curbs.

If I was going to give some advice to anyone thinking of doing something similar, it would be to try and remember which days you’ve driven in and which days you’ve walked. When I first started to walk in, after a long day in the office I spent a while in the car park looking for my car and came to the conclusion it had been stolen, before realising that I’d walked in and my car was still on the drive at home! I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again now though.

I love the way that I’m getting more exercise and I feel great for it. Walking and using the bus saves me money too which is always a bonus. On top of this, it’s also great to know that I’m doing my bit for the environment. I’ve found that I’m starting to leave my car at home more and more every month and it’s becoming second nature to me.