Why Manchester has a WHOLE FESTIVAL dedicated to walking

National World - LocalTV

We went out for a nice lunchtime scroll to talk about Greater Manchester Walking festival and how walks in nature can be good for our mental and physical well-being.

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome to Manchester World. My name is Theo Hewson-Betz and you may be noticing a bit of a

00:03different setting for today's video. That's because I'm taking advantage of my lunch break

00:08to go on a very nice walk through nature with my dog Cooper. Now this is prompted by the fact that

00:13this is the very last week of the Greater Manchester Walking Festival 2025. We thought

00:18we'd use it as an opportunity to educate you a little bit on the benefits of walking in nature.

00:23Now the festival has lasted throughout May and is simply brilliant. It offers routes for some of the

00:27best walks around Greater Manchester and also gives you great opportunities to meet people

00:31with many walks being offered with meet times and walking leaders accessible to answer any

00:35questions. You've got amazing groups like the Canal and River Trust who are leading some of the walks

00:39with the aim of educating the people on Greater Manchester about their natural surroundings

00:43as well. Now the walks can vary massively. Some of them can be a couple of miles worth of strolling

00:48alongside a canal. The others can be a 10 mile ramble over the moors and hills of this great

00:53region. But there really is something there for people of all builds and experience levels.

00:57And even if you don't fancy joining others, you can do what I'm doing now, which is take

01:01advantage of a break in your day to get some exercise and some access to nature. Now nature

01:07is something that it can be very easy to miss out on completely in day to day life, particularly

01:12if you work in a city, you've got to commute in each day. But both nature and exercise are

01:16proven to be some of the best things for both your mental and physical health. And yet since

01:20Covid, the numbers have been dropping. The Office of National Statistics has estimated that

01:241.1 million fewer people across the UK gained health benefits from time spent in nature.

01:30The purpose of this festival is to get people walking and exercising in nature to make them

01:34feel better physically and mentally. So try and get out there, either with the festival or

01:39without. I guarantee it'll be worth your while. But that's all for now. Follow Manchester World

01:43for more. We'll see you again soon.

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