Utility walking..?

I'm guessing I might be preaching to a receptive audience with this, but is "utility" walking something that is becoming a thing of the past?
You know, walking to get somewhere or to do something, rather than using any other means of transport - like the car or a bus?

Let me give you a couple of recent examples.
I needed a new lightbulb. The local Screwfix (about half a mile away) had one in stock, so I walked up there with the dog (which he was quite happy about, but dogs like any walk don't they? ) and back down. As I got home, my neighbour was by his door and as we had a quick chat he seemed genuinely shocked that I'd walked the and back, rather than using the car. It never even entered my mind to drive there, but he couldn't understand that anyone would walk that distance when they had a car.

A few days later, we took the dog to the vets for a check up. The vets is just over a mile away, but we added a bit extra on so we could take him across some fields making the round trip about 3 miles on a gloriously sunny day. The receptionist seemed surprised that not only had we walked there but also intended to walk "all the way" home again.

It makes me wonder, it really does.

 

My 78 year old dad walks every day, his local Morrisons for groceries, any medical appointments etc..

 

I'm the same when I take our car to the garage - it's on the opposite side of the town to where I work, but it's only about a half hour walk each way

I'm glad I'm not the only one who still walks some of the time

Our local Co-op is about a 7 minute walk away (if I get a wriggle on), but most of our neighbours drive there every time rather than walk - I couldn't be doing with the hassle of driving that distance.

 

Round the village for me. Some of my neighbours drive the 300 metres to the shop, but not me. Any further and I'd cycle.

I didn't know they had a Doctors surgery at Morrison's now!

 

I don't drive so I either walk or cycle to the shops. Lidl is about 1 km by the most direct route but I often go out on a longer route via a hill to get more exercise and come back the shorter, flatter way when carrying my rucksack full of shopping.

I often nip out to the railway station to pick up a copy of the Metro (I like to do the crosswords) and that is about a 1.7 km round trip (walk or ride), again often with a small hill added on to get my heart rate high for a few seconds.

 

I walk to the shop ten minutes away on the far side of the village but there's always a massive scrabble of cars looking for parking so I guess most people don't.

I like to walk to the supermarkets and bigger shops 3 miles away whenever possible but when the fields and lanes are too muddy I don't like to traipse mud all through the shops.

 

Which reminds me - I forgot to do it today! I am out of food and I want today's crosswords so I'll catch you later ...

 

There was the time I had to walk six miles home in the dark after I missed the last train home.

 

We have been known to walk about 2 miles to get into town, do a bit of shopping then walk back, no faff with car parking

 

i once walked from London Bridge to Bromley Kent after work when the trains went on strike, and i was wearing high heels

 

I like to walk to go to the shops if I'm not doing a huge shop, and I aim to get 7000 steps on my watch thing each day (it doesn't record all my steps so I set the bar a little lower). For me the hardest part is walking through that door, but once I have a reason then I'll do it even in poor weather. In nice weather it isn't a chore at all to get through the door.

 

When it comes to walking my boss usually says that she could not walk the distances we do, knowing what she is like when it comes to shopping she probably does do the mileage

 

Anyone with the requisite number of limbs and organs can do it, and even some without. Its simply a lack of will, and bone idle laziness that stops them.

 

Often walk to the shop along the sea wall only a couple of miles. Once walked 12 miles from Folkestone to home because the wait for the next bus was 2 hours.