New website to help you stroll back to health

We all know that walking is good for you. Walking to work or down to the shops is great but what if you want something more interesting or just to find a different route? A new website to be launched in September will show you.

Walk England's new interactive website Walk4Life will bring together hundreds of short, local routes across the whole of England making it easy for you to find a walk near where you live.

‘Short’ means between half a mile and up to around 3 or 4 miles long – walks which can be fitted into everyday life. In addition there will be over 2,000 one mile routes that will be signposted where possible. They might be part of a longer route and can be circular or in a straight line.

The website will allow you to record your walking, set targets, challenge friends or colleagues as well as add routes of your own and comment on existing routes.

Mental and physical health

Veronica Reynolds of Walk England said: 'We all know the links between health and exercise. Walking is the perfect form of exercise as it doesn’t require any special equipment or training, and almost everyone can do it. There is increasing recognition of the mental health benefits of walking, and of contact with nature and access to green space.'

• Backed by the Department of Health, the new website, which launches 26 September 2010 will be: www.walk4life.info