Walk 1000 miles? Me?

Since September 2014 I have been blogging my walking activities. From walks far from home, such as this - looks like the Pyrenees but is actually on the Gower Peninsula...

... to this, my exciting adventure walking through the 1.7mile Netherton Canal Tunnel without a torch. (Which I will definitely not try again! The white dot is an oncoming boat, by the way)

Most of my walks are in the West Midlands - often urban walks such as this - the Barclaycard Arena in Central Birmingham...

...and the Farmers' Bridge flight of locks which are crammed  between (and sometimes underneath) Birmingham's new buildings.

But they are mostly rural - this is Sandwell Valley - a beautiful oasis right next to the motorway

But even with all this walking I only managed about 800 miles last year.

Some of them were very scenic, of course (Sheepwalks, near Enville, S Staffs)

But that was the problem: I only walked when the conditions would make good blogging!

Sometimes, I walked in grey conditions - this is part of the Staffordshire Way as it passes Cannock Chase 

...but most of the Staffordshire Way walks I did were in sunshine. (This is Enville Hall, near Kinver)

So I decided to take part in a Country Walking magazine initiative called "Walk 1000 miles" to help me increase the miles I walked.

And I've been going since January 1st. So far I've walked 175 miles, which is on target. It averages out at 2.74 miles per day, which is perfectly do-able.

Instead of blogging every walk, I'm new just blogging some of the more attractive/interesting of them, so it doesn't become too boring. No-one wants to see hundreds of pictures like this - a grey sky walk!

I've added to my personal walking by regularly walking straight from home. It's a whole new perspective to do the same walk over and over again. Every time is different. This was the day I first discovered this sunken boat, about a month ago. Yesterday, it had sailed away, which was great. (And the sun was shining!)

I've found lots of support and ideas from the #walk 1000 miles class of 2016 on Facebook (Not sure if that link will work for you, it does for me).

Why not give it a go, and walk 1000 miles yourself? It doesn't cost anything, it's good for you and it's a target to aim for. You could start now if you want and either finish on December 31st, or 365 days after you start. 
There is an official form you can fill in, but you don't need to. 
There are lots of good ideas and inspiration in Country Walking magazine - or any other walking magazines.
Let me know if you decide to give it a go. 
And you're welcome to share this post if you wish.