Walking & Cycling

It is recommended by medical professionals that adults get 150 minutes of exercise per week (just 30 minutes per day over five days). Walking and cycling, including e-bikes, are excellent ways to achieve this, sometimes without even realising it!

Walking from Woodland Heath

There are many local facilities surrounding Woodland Heath, including a variety of local grocery shops such as the Co-op, Tesco and Lidl. Additionally, both the local nursery and primary school are within a suitable distance with plenty of scenic parks to walk through. Take a look at the map in your Travel Information Pack for further details or view online here.

If you are looking for scenic nature walks, try Harrison’s Woods, which is only a 13 minute walk from Woodland Heath. Or perhaps, if you are feeling adventurous, try the 2.3 mile circular walk around Whitlingham Lake, there is also a café there for you to sit down and enjoy the calm waters and greenery!

Some useful websites and apps for walking:

• Go Jauntly – Are you looking for walking routes near Woodland Heath? Go Jauntly is a free walking app that shows you some nearby routes to walk around. You can also record and curate your own walking routes.
• Open Street Map – This is good for people who are looking to find footpaths around their area.

Cycling in the area

Did you know cycling is three times faster than walking?

Cycling can be a great alternative to short car journeys, and many local facilities are easily reached by bicycle. If you are cycling to the local shop, there are usually cycle stands outside- just don’t forget to take your lock with you.

Cycling doesn’t have to be for commuting or errands though, it can also be for leisure purposes and for those that are a little more serious about cycling, you can find local cycling groups through the Cycling UK website.

Some useful websites and apps:

• Love to Ride: Love to ride has something for everyone. You can record your rides and compete in competitions. You can also make new cycling buddies.
• Sustrans: This is a UK based charity which aims to encourage walking and cycling, and is a UK wide network of signed paths and routes for walking, cycling, wheeling and exploring outdoors.
• Cycle Streets: This is one of the most comprehensive cycle route planners. It is free to use and is also available as a mobile app.
• National Cycle Network: To find a route on the National cycle network, or to find out whether the route is traffic free.

Claim your active travel voucher! As a resident of Woodland Heath, you are entitled to £70 active travel voucher. You could use this for some comfortable walking shoes or perhaps a waterproof jacket!

Cycle to work schemes

Have you heard of cycle to work schemes? These are travel incentives from the UK government to encourage people to cycle. You can save 25-39% on hiring a new bike and equipment for work. When your hire agreement ends, you can even keep the package you hired by making a small additional payment. Learn more here.

E-bikes

Electric bikes are becoming increasingly popular – but some people claim they are ‘cheating’! E-Bikes just offer a little extra assistance when pedalling, particularly when cycling up-hill which makes them ideal for the elderly, injured or just those who don’t want to get as hot and sweaty! If your employer is part of a cycle to work scheme, you could purchase an e-bike through this. Find out more about e-bikes in our blog post.