Walking

For those of us lucky enough to be able to do it: walking does us - and our environment - a world of good. More often than not, it gets you from A to B with the most speed and least hassle.

Over time, awareness of the importance of physical health has grown significantly and yet there are still nationwide concerns that people are not getting enough exercise. Walking addresses this issue at no financial cost.

Many people feel that travel by car is the quickest and most convenient way to get around and for people in remote communities this is often true, as cars are sometimes the only effective means of travel.

However, for people living or working in Lerwick, issues of congestion and parking often restrict travel by car - making it more of an inconvenience.

Walking offers a solution to this as it takes little time to walk to and from most places in Lerwick. While it is accepted that many people in Shetland need to own a car, ZetTrans encourages people traveling short distances to properly consider the benefits of walking as an alternative.

Walking it?

NHS Shetland, Shetland Island Council and ZetTrans have been working in partnership to develop a map to encourage people to walk to meetings within Lerwick town centre rather than taking the car. The map shows the locations of Council offices throughout Lerwick and an accompanying table contains a list of named routes with details on the time it takes to walk the routes as well as the number of calories burnt off and the amount of carbon emissions saved by walking.

If you would like a copy of the map please contact ZetTrans on (01595) 744868. Alternatively the map and accompanying information can be downloaded here:

• Map
• Information Table

Links

Walking also offers an effective means of seeing tourist attractions throughout Shetland. For information on a number of walks and the physical health benefits of walking see the below websites:

• Walks in Shetland
• Paths to Health