Free ways to make your walk more exciting

1. Add a challenge

family running in park

If you’re looking to increase the intensity of your walks, give yourself a fitness challenge. Try race walking, or set a time goal for yourself so that your pace increases. If you’re walking with children, challenge them to hop the whole street, or gallop like a horse for part of the trail. Or ask them to make up their own challenges that will give them a little extra exercise.

2. Create nature rubbings

leaf rubbing with green pencil

Bring some paper and crayons or pencils with you on your walk and create rubbings of bark, leaves, and anything else with an interesting texture. This is a great activity to do with children, and it’s a fun way to learn about the details found in nature.

3. Look for insects

bumble bee on a flower

Whether you live in the country or the city, you’re bound to find insects on your walk if you look closely. Bring a magnifying glass along if you have one, and see how many different species you can spot. You could also learn how to identify insects using an identification guide like this one from Woodland Trust.

4. Play a game

children playing tag

Hide-and-seek, “I spy”, tag, and follow the leader are all classic games that will keep children moving and motivated on a walk. Another fun one is Catch the Colour, where you pick a colour and everyone races to find an object in that colour.

Want to get fit and healthy?

Sign up to our fortnightly Heart Matters newsletter to receive healthy recipes, new activity ideas, and expert tips for managing your health. Joining is free and takes two minutes.

I’d like to sign-up

5. Go geocaching

hands holding a map and a GPS

Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting game that’s fun for the whole family. To play, use the Geocaching app to navigate to hidden containers called ‘geocaches’ located at specific coordinates. Geocaches usually contain a logbook where you can log the time and date you found it, and a few small treasures. If you take a treasure from the geocache, try to leave something of equal or greater value for the next geocacher. There are over 3 million geocaches around the world so there’s bound to be one near you.

Discover more at the Geocaching website.

6. Identify clouds

clouds against blue sky

Can you tell the difference between a cumulus cloud and a stratus cloud? While on your walk, use a cloud spotting guide to identify the different types of cloud formations that appear overhead. Or you could use your imagination and think about what shapes or animals you can see in the clouds – this works on your own, or can be a fun topic of conversation if you’re walking with others.

7. Help clean up

seniors picking litter in the country

Make your environment nicer to be in by picking up litter along your walk and disposing of it properly at the end of your walk. If you have children with you, it’s also an opportunity to teach them about the importance of respecting our environment, and can be turned into a fun activity.