I went on a walk around Lancaster campus every day for a month and my calves are burning

I very nearly gave up


I have always been something of a vociferous walker. Growing up in a family where we had dogs, I have always been very used to trekking around the village after school in addition to walking to the bus stop and back every day. We would also hike as a family, so when I came to university, I found myself missing the walks that made up a regular part of my life.

A new year’s resolution to go for a walk every day this year was thus made, and through sheer coincidence, I managed to achieve every single one of these by walking, in some form or another, on campus.

A personal challenge

Why do I enjoy walking? Primarily because it’s really good for me. I’m very much NOT a sporty person, so walking is my favourite form of exercise: I can’t necessarily run a mile, but I will walk for seven without batting an eyelid, and frequently do in the holidays.

I’ve also always been really susceptible to getting cooped up; the only time I’ve had to self isolate because of Covid, I went stir-crazy, so getting outside in the fresh air every day is really good for me. It clears my head and does wonders for my mental health if I’m having a bad day.

The terms of the challenge to go for a walk every single day? It has to be at least twenty minutes long, or it has to get my heart rate going, so I either have to go at a decent pace or up a hill.

Campus walks

I’m a first year Theatre and Creative Writing student who lives in Lonsdale, a long way away from my classes. A lot of my walks do end up being lengths up and down the Spine going back and forth from the LICA building to go to classes. But on days when I don’t have classes, I like to do the Woodland Walk as a break from the buildings.

For those of you who don’t know where the Woodland Walk is, it encircles campus, and once you get on the path, it’s pretty self-explanatory (the easiest place to find it is up by LICA or by the sports centre). It has some of the most amazing views, and if you time it right, there are some pretty spectacular sunsets too.

Benefits of the challenge

Walking every day was absolutely lovely – 80 per cent of the time. The day of Storm Eunice was possibly my least favourite experience ever: I didn’t venture away from the buildings that day, as I was too concerned about falling tree branches. I did run into someone from the buildings team and realised that I should have been more concerned about falling roofs instead.

The only day I ventured off campus was when I walked down to Galgate Marina, which was a change of scenery. If you haven’t done that walk, I would definitely recommend it – it takes you through Ellel and past a stream and graveyard, past a mill that has a cafe, and down towards the canal.

Nearly failing at the last hurdle

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am very stubborn, and I’m not one to back down from a challenge. Hence the fact that I somehow still managed to get in a walk every day whilst being ill. I decided that proximity to my room, in case I felt unwell, was possibly a good idea, so ended up doing laps of south-west campus. To the bus driver parked at the stop by Cartmel who saw me walking past, looking like a sleep-deprived zombie: I am so, so sorry.

But I managed it!

I would definitely recommend this challenge to anyone who is looking to improve their physical or mental health, or anyone who wants to get out of the library more! It does provide a really good break from studying and is really good fun.

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