recommend your favourite walk

Got a favourite family walk that you can get to on foot or using public transport? Car Free Walks is an info site for environmentally friendly walkers. The aim is to build up a database of walks that can be reached using public transport. This will provide free information for people who want to reduce their environmental impact by using their car less frequently. The website already features over 100 car-free walks across England, Scotland and Wales, with more being added each week. Visitors to the website can search for walks near to towns or cities, by county or by the type of walk. Each walk has an outline of the route, points of interest along the way, and a map showing key points to help with navigation. The website also links to information about public transport to and from the walk. It's easy to submit your favourite car-free walk - simply register and post the details. One criterion is that it must be possible to reach the start and finish of the walk using trains or buses. The site also offers tips for car-free walking. So share your knowledge of the local countryside and help other walkers go carbon neutral!

a beautiful start

I try to take a walk every morning as it really sets me up for the day ahead. If I have managed an hour of solitude striding through the gorgeous Sussex countryside I know I am going to be more productive at work, more effective at home and a calmer, more playful mother with my children. This morning I slipped out of the house before anyone else was awake and walked until I came to my favourite spot. Just down a country lane, between two huge gnarled oak trees is an old wooden gate leading into a field. The field is backed by trees on the cusp of changing colour and I feel completely alone and at peace here. I like to climb up onto the gate and watch the sun rise over the hills. This morning the sun was almost orange as it rose and the moon was still full, transparent and silver, behind me. I sat on the gate, watched rabbits bounce across the field and as I breathed in and exhaled, it was as though I was breathing in union with Source. After a while I felt ready to come home and embrace the day ahead and the tumbling, excitable children that light up my day and leave me feeling exhausted by bedtime. Onwards....