Welcome To Walking Week - 16-24 September

The Rambers' Association is encouraging people to get off their sofas and get out walking with its Welcome To Walking Week which runs from 16 - 24 September 2006 and includes the National Day of Walking on 17 September.

The week is part of the RA's concerted effort to promote walking and its associated health benefits of exploring the countryside, which it calls 'Britain's biggest free gym'.

The event includes some 400 led walks across England, Scotland and Wales, all of which are free and open to all with plenty of short easy walks which are suitable for beginners to the activity.

On top of that, everyone who takes part in a festival walk can get a 20 per-cent discount on the cost of joining the RA which, for the cynical among you - yes, you - also includes groups specifically targeted at those in their 20s and 30s.

Family-themed walks will also be on offer during the festival as the RA teams up with children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent for their annual fundraising event Yummy Mummy Week. Family walks led by RA volunteers will feature activities such as treasure hunts and wildlife spotting, and the chance to raise money for CLIC Sargent, which supports children with cancer and leukaemia and their families in the UK.

Most OMers will already be converted to the idea of walking as a way of staying fit, but Mariusz Wilczynski, Event Organiser, stresses that:

"Welcome to Walking Week is a great opportunity for anyone who needs motivation to get fit and healthy, with walks for all fitness levels available. Walking is the cheapest, most natural and most convenient way to keep fit and regularly walking for as little as thirty minutes a day will improve your health."

For details of walks in your area visit www.ramblers.org.uk where you can find full details of walks and family walks in your area along with useful links. Alternatively, call 020 7339 8500 for further information.