Welcome to the Walking Pace newsletter! At Walking Pace we love walking and celebrate every walker and every walk – no matter how far, fast or technical. Set up by Matt Overd and Anita Kerwin-Nye Walking Pace promotes good ideas, shares knowledge and highlights experiences from across the vast walking community. In these regular updates we look back at walking related news you may have missed and highlight interesting articles, walking jobs, opportunities and upcoming dates. And, introducing this month – One Mile Walks – our new programme curating and creating walks about a mile long with a focus on accessibility.

If you have any walking news or events you would like included in the next newsletter then please contact: matt@walkingpace.uk.

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“October is my favourite month. The air turns crisp, and leaves burn in shades of gold, amber, and crimson. Mornings arrive with a misty chill, and the world feels suspended between the warmth of summer’s memory and the quiet descent into winter.”

(HistoryandHeritageYorkshire)

Round up

New accessible path at Ilam: The second phase of a project to create a 1km circular route at Ilam Park is now complete, making the historic and picturesque site more accessible for everyone. This is the latest part of a project where community groups and accessibility experts are working with the National Trust, to help them improve experiences for people with a range of needs – see more

The best cure for mind and body is water: New research reveals the profound benefits of being in and near water for both mind and body. Countryfile explores the transformative power of blue spaces – see more

Will footpaths be lost?: Thousands of miles of footpaths could be lost due to a massive backlog in local councils dealing with applications, campaigners say – see more

Investment in cycling and walking will be unprecedented: The Labour government will invest “unprecedented levels of funding” in cycling and walking as a critical part of plans to improve health and inequality, the new secretary for transport has said – see more

Don’t head out in a storm: Mountain rescue plea after walkers three walkers had to be rescued from England’s highest mountain during Storm Lilian – see more

Plus-size people face a lot of barriers: Every Body Outdoors, the campaigners helping larger walkers to enjoy the great outdoors – see more

Walking and cycling to school more likely in Ulez: Schoolchildren living in London’s ultra-low emission zone were nearly four times as likely to switch to walking and cycling after its introduction compared with those outside the zone, research suggests – see more

Thinking paths: Every writer should have a thinking path. When I learned that Darwin, Dickens, and Wordsworth had one, I wanted one too. And it has transformed my writing process, writes Simon Whaley – see more

Night under the Stars – Open Country: A group of young carers spend a night under canvas on Dartmoor – a rare opportunity for many of them to get a break from their caring responsibilities – see more

Route Grading: Outdooractive explain their approach to route grading – see more

Wild camping on Dartmoor: The freedom to wild camp can make hiking among the majestic tors and ancient forests even more rewarding, but this right is at risk – see more. People gather on Dartmoor to campaign for the right to wild camp – see more. And now just picnicking on Dartmoor is trespassing – see more

Writing Inclusion into the Outdoors: Mary-Ann Ochota writes ‘Truly inclusive practice is about bringing diversity into decision-making, leadership, and the development of ideas.’ – see more

Three in four primary school teachers report children’s physical activity is in decline: The Daily Mile and ITV joins forces for the sixth year to highlight and promote the benefits of daily physical activity on children’s physical and mental wellbeing – see more

Nature is free, and the best kind of medicine: Research suggests that our minds benefit from our encounters with aspects of nature – be it cold water and calming scents, or vivid colours and certain types of landscape – see more. Yet, study finds UK adults aren’t connected to nature – see more

Worth a look