9 ms·
A joyless trudge? No, thanks
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- simonebrunozzi 6y agoIf you don't like walking, do something else... But let walkers be walkers. I personally love walking, and am doing more and more of it ("thanks" to Covid and my current personal situation). I'm happier. I'm healthier. I have more time to wander with my mind and think about things that can only surface in my mind while walking.
- maxrev17 6y agoThe Guardian really couldn't get any worse could it. Article for the sake of an article. Yes I'm British, walking is exploration and time to think, to socialise. I don't understand the motivation of someone, like the author, to live in a country they clearly dislike.
- Neil44 6y agoEvery time you think you’ve seen Peak Guardian...
- conistonwater 6y agoIsn't it some kind of an opinion fluff piece in the "Lifestyle" section?
- morsch 6y agoI like how it goes on and on and on. Aimlessly, like the walks she dislikes. Looking forward to the next article on how she doesn't like sushi. Having fish and chips? A joy. A good Bouillabaisse? A delight! But raw fish with soy sauce and rice? Thanks, but no. Ok.
- binbag 6y agoIt's a humorous piece. Take it less seriously.
- dtf 6y agoThere's "We should celebrate walking in Britain now more than ever" [1] from the Daily Telegraph if that's more your bag: "At 9pm, with only the faintest glow left in the west, the birds stopped singing. Venus blazed and, as darkness deepened, others joined: Arcturus, Procyon, the Plough. A breeze riffled ink-black trees. Bats swooped. Something scuttered in the hedge. I knew exactly where I was; I’d walked this circuit of country lanes many times, and since lockdown almost daily. But I’d never done it at night. This time I wasn’t just walking with my legs; I was walking with every pore, every nerve. ..." Could almost be written by Boris himself. [1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/articles/how-to-make-your-walk-more-interesting/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/unite...
- maxrev17 6y agoEqually pointless.
- Veen 6y agoThe Guardian certainly does get worse than this article. It's a light and humorous look at a British cultural quirk from an outsider's perspective. I quite enjoyed it. We should think ourselves lucky it's not yet another tedious exploration of how, for example, hiking is racist and we should all be ashamed.
- bengale 6y agoPurple articles are from the lifestyle section. They’re not really meant to be hard hitting news or anything.
- conistonwater 6y ago> Running outdoors had all of walking’s problems, but faster, and with sweat. The Japanese (I don't know if this is true or not but I heard it's a true fact) have a term called forest bathing, meaning to spend time surrounded by greenery soaking up the views. If you run, you can soak in twice as much greenery per unit of time.
- jniedrauer 6y agoThis is one of the reasons I took up trail running. It's hard to disconnect for very long when working at a startup. But after a few years of training, I can cross entire mountain ranges in a day and see things I would never otherwise be able to see.
- morsch 6y agoI don't know that it's in the spirit of forest bathing to apply this kind of efficiency mentality to it...
- pezezin 6y agoI have been living in Japan for a while but I never heard of that before, so I asked my girlfriend and she confirmed that yes, the term exists and Japanese people enjoy it, but: - It doesn't feel like a particularly Japanese thing to do, walking in the forest is just basic human nature. But you know how everything is instantly 100% cooler if you give a Japanese name to it. - Japanese forests are full of bears, so be very careful.
- binbag 6y agoI'm British and I found the article funny and relatable. I'm sick to death of aimless walks.
- babygoat 6y agoIt’s entirely optional, no? Surely you’re no sick to death of other people having them?
- yellowapple 6y agoI think it's more the social pressure to engage in these walks, in spite of one's preferences, that's more at issue. At least that's how the article seemed to portray it.
- tinus_hn 6y agoIn the Netherlands gyms have been closed for months and if you complain the excuse is ‘just go for a walk’. It’s not entirely optional if the only option for exercise is going for a walk or (adventure!) a bike ride.
- ncallaway 6y agoIt’s not the only option. You can do a wide variety of exercise without a gym or equipment. Body weight exercises are a great form of strength training you can do anywhere with no equipment. You can replace walks with runs, sprints, or interval training. If you have an appropriate body of water near you, you can also go swimming without going to a gym or pool. Start intervals of boxing the air (if you haven’t done it before, you’ll be shocked at how long 45s is while you’re punching as quickly as you can). With a minimal investment, you can take up jumprope. An excellent cardio exercise. Alternatively, grab a hula hoop, and learn to hula. There are tons of exercises you can do that aren’t walking or going to a gym. It’s not a binary option.
- helij 6y agoPush-ups, sit-ups and some aerobics is another option.
- jpcooper 6y agoThe article’s a bit of a troll piece, so I’m going to ignore it. One of my favourite pastimes in London was picking somewhere on the map I’d never been and just walking there. Sometimes just the centre of a borough I hadn’t been to before. Sometimes more than 10 miles in one go. Canal routes, hidden pathways, a new park, busy high streets. Lots of time to think or just watch. I’ve been doing quite a bit of walking in Istanbul recently, but I’m running out of options. Maybe someone can suggest some interesting, out of the ordinary routes.
- telesilla 6y agoWhen in a new city with plenty of time to see how it works I pick someone who looks interesting and follow them, until they get on what is clearly commuter transport. Or, in a city like London, Amsterdam or Berlin you can follow someone on the bicycle for extra long rides to new places. Another thing I've done is look for a cafe on the other side of town and go exploring. Of course, keeping safe means always being aware where you are. As a woman it's always been heightened not to find myself out after dark on foot for example.
- Tomte 6y ago> Of course, keeping safe means always being aware where you are There is also the other side of the coin: if you do this, make sure you aren't noticed. Especially with women. Especially especially in the dark. It's not nice to make other people feel threatened.
- tkgally 6y agoOnce, around fifteen years ago, I had a day free at the end of a short business trip to Seoul. I decided to explore the city randomly. I got on the subway, rode a few stops, and went up to ground level and walked around. I repeated this several times. Each area turned out to be interesting in a different way, and I encountered things—a wholesale textile market, a maze-like residential neighborhood—I never would have seen if I had been following a guidebook.
- hippira 6y agoAre you not afraid of coming across as a stalker ?
- babygoat 6y agoI can’t stand the thought of lifting weights. So I just don’t do it. It’s never crossed my mind to write a 5000 word essay about it.
- Rendello 6y ago> A cucumber is bitter. Throw it away. There are briars in the road. Turn aside from them. This is enough. Do not add, "And why were such things made in the world?" -- Marcus Aurelius
- ricc 6y agoPeople try to write just about anything today for "content".
- brudgers 6y agoUntil now?
- babygoat 6y agoUntil never.
- diimdeep 6y agoYou are welcome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plogging https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plogging
- sdwr 6y agoLovely, thanks.
- loloquwowndueo 6y agoIt’s a fun read but I concur with other commenters about it being a sarcastic rant about something the author doesn’t enjoy (probably because they are doing it wrong - also surprised a Canadian would complain about not having the right shoes given the “no bad weather, only bad clothing” mantra Canadians live by. ).
- ckdarby 6y agoI'm Canadian, I don't think I've ever heard another Canadian say that mantra and it does make sense to some degree. There is absolutely "bad weather" because I don't think anyone will call -30/-40C plus wind in the middle of winter as "good weather".
- claudiulodro 6y agoIt's actually a Scandinavian mantra. Basically something moms tell their kids to make them go outside and play regardless of weather.
- loloquwowndueo 6y agoI have heard Canadians say it - so it’s your anecdata vs. my anecdata :) Thanks to the replier who helpfully pointed out the saying originated in Scandinavia.
- goatinaboat 6y agoIt’s a fun read but I concur with other commenters about it being a sarcastic rant about something the author doesn’t enjoy It's the Guardian. The thought that anyone, anywhere might enjoy something means they want it banned.
- JoeAltmaier 6y agoLots of folks butt-hurt that somebody doesn't share their enthusiasms. But honestly, my favorite hikes are to a cabin, where I stay for several days. Some of us don't enjoy the same things. I identify with the author.
- poopypoopington 6y agoOne of my favorite things in the world is going for a long walk or bike ride and listening to a good podcast. I would love to do that in the places the author is moaning about.
- globular-toast 6y agoAll I can say is I hope she enjoyed writing this pointless article as much as I enjoy my pointless walks.
- underseacables 6y agoI lived in Australia for a year and very much enjoyed the walk to the bus stop each day. So many colorful birds, meeting people, everything was always interesting. Perhaps because I was in a different country, but gosh it was fun.
- unixhero 6y agoAustralia is fucking great. A shame about their draconian immigration VISA laws.
- gonzo41 6y agoJust be rich, that's the trick. Like mastercard, being rich works everywhere too. :P
- pestatije 6y agoNah. Come here for study, work part time, find sponsor, you're done!
- unixhero 6y agoWell I did. One degree. Then another. A sponsor will lets your ass survive for 5 years, maybe 10 if you get an extension on your sponsorship. Then you're out. Forget your old life, because you're going back wherever you came from. "In fact we don't care, just get out of our borders."
- nicbou 6y agoIt's the same in most countries isn't it? My presence in Germany still depends on my ability to pay taxes.
- rcxdude 6y agoAt least in the UK if you've lived here (under whatever visa or rules allow you to) for 10 years and pass some fairly straightforward (if a bit silly) tests you can effectively stay indefinitely (whether you aim to become a full citizen or not). The process is a bit expensive and bureaucratic (and the home office often maliciously incompetent), but in principle if you've stayed here long enough you don't have much threat of being kicked out.
- buttscicles 6y agoI enjoyed the article. I do think the author should take up photography though, if only to give those aimless walks a purpose :)
- throwawayboise 6y agoReminds me of the "walking meetings" one my former PMs used to like to do. One of several reasons I quit that job.
- cjbenedikt 6y agoFor a better understanding: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_from_a_Small_Island https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_from_a_Small_Island
- newdayrising 6y agoThere are many pleasure walkers here who seem to be so upset at the guile of someone who dares criticize their beloved pastime that they completely missed the point of the article. The author's issue is with walking "culture" that encourages walking for walking's sake. In other words, walking that ignores surroundings and is more concerned with either the concept of walking or an interior journey where surroundings are just a backdrop to encourage thinking. I completely agree. These type of walkers aren't walking to see nature or observe new surroundings, they're walking to just "be". It reminds me of running hikers or mountain bikers that blow past you on beautiful hiking trails oblivious to the beauty around them. Walking or hiking to these people is more about the personal narcissistic pleasure they can wrench out of their surroundings rather than being receptive and "taking in" the beauty of nature. It's about "running" or "walking" and consuming views. I actually prefer Instagram hikers over runners. At least the Instagrammer is looking for beauty to share with others. The runners, pleasure walkers and mountain bikers are blazing over nature, the rest of you be damned.
- globular-toast 6y agoI think this all boils down to "why do you like what I don't like?"
- bot41 6y agoA really useless article. Walk or don't walk, it doesn't really matter. The author suggests doing some HIIT training with friends instead... It just doesn't make sense to compare the activities.
- Klwohu 6y agoWhy does HN allow Guardian submissions at all? What’s next, links to 4chan threads?
- dang 6y agohttps://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=%22article%20quality%22%20%22site%20quality%22%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&so... There have been plenty of good submissions from there. Of course, like all major media sites, most articles are bad and/or uninteresting for HN. That's fine; just don't post those ones. The current submission was a little offbeat but that's a good thing.
- ulisesrmzroche 6y ago“It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth.” —Nietzsche Check out "the Philosophy of Walking". A lot of great thinkers saw "going for a walk" as something central to their practice. But this article doesn't mention any of that, how much our modern world was shaped by walkers. edit: lol downvotes
- siliconc0w 6y agoI enjoy hiking (what we call it in the states) but I don't always have the time or access to an ideal trail without a lot of travel. To 'hack' around this I use a weighted backpack (a.k.a ruck sacking) and either just wander interesting neighborhoods or hit the easier nature walks/trails. After about an hour you kinda get similar physical exertion and the feeling of a longer hike without the time or trudge costs. I still like to do some 'real' hiking when I can but rucking is a nice way to squeeze in a little outside time when I can.
- Symbiote 6y agoBritish people would usually distinguish walking and hiking. Walking covers everything. If the walk is sufficiently long and vigorous, it is also a hike.
- ChrisArchitect 6y agolong but enjoyable piece from back in February