At the weekend, I started experimenting with creating a virtual walk. I have really enjoyed watching other peoples’ through the lockdown. It was a great way to get the feeling of travelling without leaving the house. Perfect for the majority of last year.
Hale to Ashley Walk
Over the bank holiday weekend, I fancied exploring a new walk, so headed to GM Walking for some inspiration. It is a great resource for finding walks all over Greater Manchester and you’ll get maps, instructions and more to get you started.
This walk is part of the Mid-Cheshire Railways series, which are nice and leisurely taking in plenty of scenery. It was perfect for practising making a virtual Cheshire walk.
Keeping Track
I love tracking my walking. Not only to see how many miles I have done but also for keeping an eye on my health (how many steps I do a day) and for sharing routes. I have recently been trying out Relive, which is proving to be a fun way to visualise the walks that I do.
The free account lets you add one tune (the one in the above clip) and ten photos from along the route. It really brings the walk to life. You can subscribe for more features, but at the moment this is enough for me.
The Virtual Walk
Creating a virtual walk is pretty simple really. You just need to get out there and take a video as you walk. I have been dropping in some facts here and there from some quick research and Wiki pages.
Rather than making the virtual walk really long, I opted to film only part of it and also break it into two – there and back. This way, it is enough for a lunchtime watch, or for a twenty-minute walk/run on the treadmill.