Walking

Walk your way to better health!

Walking is an excellent way to get around the borough. It's cost effective, and great for your health. Walkers have around half the risk of cardiovascular diseases as inactive people. It's also been shown that walkers are less prone to anxiety and depression, tend to be good sleepers and are better at controlling their body weight.

Walking Routes

Islington has a wealth of excellent walking routes for both your commute and leisure walking. For some ideas for your next walk, click on the Walks in Islington link on the right, under Related Information.

Holloway Walking Route

This route through Holloway connects Caledonian Park to Finsbury Park via Arsenal Stadium. For a map of the Holloway Walking Route, you can download a copy of the Green Travel Map below or contact Transport Planning on 020 7527 2000.

Look out for the on street Wayfinding boards and trailfinders to help you along the route.

North Islington Walking Route

This green route links a number of parks and green spaces in the North of Islington, including Tufnell Park, Foxham Gardens, Whittington Park, Davenant Gardens, Cornwallis Park and Wray Crescent Park.

For a map of the Holloway Walking Route, you can download a copy of the Green Travel Map below or contact Transport Planning on 020 7527 2000.

Look out for the on street Wayfinding boards and trailfinders to help you along the route.

Connect2 – Islington Walking and Cycling Routes

Islington has one of 79 schemes UK-wide Connect2 project, which aims to encourage people to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment, as well as creating a sense of community pride.

The routes connect various green spaces in the borough, including Caledonian Park, Paradise Park, Highbury Fields, Gillespie Park and Finsbury Park.

For more information click on the Connect2 link on the right, under Related Information.

Walk Islington: Explore the Unexpected

If you are looking for a form of exercise that you might be able to keep up, then why not try walking? Research shows that people who take up walking for exercise are more likely to keep exercising than any other exercise. 

Walking is beneficial on a number of levels:

• Regular walking reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%.
• Car users suffer up to three times more pollution than pedestrians.
• Walking outdoors reduces your stress levels.
• Walking 30 minutes, five times a week will help you to maintain your weight.
• It is good for the environment.

To enable you to get out and walk more, Islington has created a walking guide called Walk Islington: Explore the unexpected. It covers six interesting routes throughout the borough and has some tips to motivate you to get to know your borough better. We interviewed three well-known Islington residents about their favourite places to walk and found some interesting places to stop along the way.

You can download a copy of the guide below:

Why Walk?

For health: Walking strengthens your heart, your bones and your muscles, and it helps to control your weight.

For wealth: Walking is free and will enrich your life in many ways.

For happiness: Walking improves your mood and helps combat depression.

For comfort: Go for a walk in your local park or wood, and discover how nature can reduce stress and calm your mind.

For joy: Walk with friends or join a walking group, and discover just how much fun walking can be!

For more information on the benefits of walking, click on the Health Walks link on the right, under Related Information.

Getting Started

If you can only walk for a couple of minutes and then you need to rest, that's okay. Where you start from isn't important - it's where you're going that counts!

Try to walk on most days of the week. You could start with a ten minute walk and gradually increase the time you spend walking. Don't overdo it on your first walk. If you are very unfit, you may want to start by walking every other day. Build it up bit by bit and know what you are aiming for.

To get health benefits from walking, you only need to walk for 30 minutes, five days a week.

If it suits you to break this down, for example, three sessions of ten minutes walking in a day, that's just as good.