Walking is more popular than ever, embraced en masse during the corona period, as it was the only option for healthy exercise for many people. The slow form of moving around offers optimal time to explore stunning landscapes. For example, in England 

Of England's 16 National Trails, seven are of particular interest to Dutch people because of their proximity to an airport or port: Pennine Way, the South West Coast Path, North Down's Way, Hadrian's Wall Path, Norfolk Coast Path, Cleveland Way and Cotswold Way. Each of these are wonderful routes, each with its own features and high-lights. We show a few in advance to get in the mood....

South West Coast Path

At some 1,013 km, 'the SWCP' is the longest walking trail in England. If you want to walk it all the way, take about 6 to 8 weeks, although it can be done a lot faster: Brit Kristian Morgan walked the entire trail in just 10 days, 14 hours and 44 minutes. In terms of distance, it's about 4 times walking up Mount Everest, but thankfully a lot less steep and high. Part of the trail -between Orcombe Point in Exmouth and Old Harry Rocks near Swanage- is the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Jurassic Coast'. It is so named because of the many fossils found there. And tranquillity along the way is guaranteed: 74% of the trail passes through national parks or what is known as an Area of Natural beauty (AONB).

Hadrian's Wall Path

In 2022, it will be 1900 years since Roman emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of 'his' wall, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not all the wall is made of stone; in the west, sections are made of peat. But it remains metre by metre a fascinating structure. Besides being a future tourist attraction, the Romans brought the British other good things including hot baths, road building and.... the hamburger. An ancient Roman cookbook (Apicius) actually found a recipe for what we today call a hamburger. Should you go on this walk and get a craving for one of these meaty slices along the way: the only place along the wall where you can order one is the tearoom at Birdoswald Roman Fort in Cumbria.

The Pennine Way

This is the first National Trail realised in England and opened in 1965. Along this footpath you will find England's highest waterfall (Hardraw Force, 30 metres), England's highest pub (the magnificent Tan Hill Inn at 528 metres above sea level), the highest road (the 8 km-long Great Dun Fell at an altitude of 848 metres in the Pennines mountains) and two historic buildings (Top Withens and Ponden Hall), which inspired Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, one of the most important books in British literature, and later Kate Bush's hit single of the same name. By the way, breakneck feats such as those shown in the attached photo are not necessary to reach said pub...

 Check for a complete list of the UK's most beautiful walking routes www.nationaltrail.co.uk/nl_NL/

Smarter active

The watch you want to have on during adventure walks and long treks: a new fēnix 6 Solar from Garmin.

In fact, these all-rounders have an extra-long battery life through the use of solar power: in smartwatch mode and with sufficient sun exposure, up to 16 days! All thanks to Power Glass, a new technology from Garmin that integrates a semi-transparent layer of photovoltaic solar cells on the protected side of the watch lens. This glass is a robust Corning Gorilla glass, which has undergone a DX treatment which increases scratch resistance, fingerprint avoidance and anti-reflective properties. The advantage is that the array of photovoltaic solar cells is so well protected because it is fixed between the glass and the screen. Moreover, there is no air between the various elements, which prevents unwanted additional reflections and thus ensures optimal viewing in all weather conditions.

Check your complete body

Thereby, it is of course an athletes' watch par excellence: you can accurately monitor how your body uses energy by tracking your heart rate, stress, sleep and oxygen saturation (Pulse Ox2). This gives you optimal insight into your health data. You receive heart rate data including alerts if your heart rate remains too high or too low while at rest. The smartwatch measures how hard your heart is working during activities such as walking or running, but also while swimming and even under water. The Sleeptracking function gives you a comprehensive analysis of your sleep. This sleep detection gives a realistic picture and takes into account factors such as movement, heart rate, breathing frequency. By easily documenting your sleep, you can also discover long-term trends. Using this sleep coaching, you get 24/7 insight into lifestyle and activity data, which clarifies the sometimes complex relationship between what you do during the day and how you sleep. This smart coach guides you and indicates small adjustments that can make a big difference. As a result, sleep tracking can also be used as a basis for creating smarter workout schedules. The nice thing about Garmin is that all this kind of ingenious technology is made accessible via simple menu structures in which you intuitively find your way around.

Extremely handy

That the watch is just super handy in addition to being a coach and health tool almost speaks for itself: smartphone notifications from the wrist keep you connected at all times, as you receive discreet vibration alerts for notifications and other alerts. Multiple global satellite navigation systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) help you keep track of your adventures and ensure you find your way home from the most remote areas effortlessly. And with Garmin Pay, you can pay contactless with your watch anytime, anywhere so you can leave your wallet at home from now on. Last but not least, this is also a very nice watch that looks very good both casual and business. 

Prices range from €750 for the fēnix 6 and slightly smaller 6S to €1100 for the exclusive fēnix 6 Pro Solar with titanium strap. Check for your complete and very long list of specs: www.garmin.nl