‘Dark days are a time to replenish’: how to walk well in winter

A walking therapist, a Japanese calendar and yes, a cat, help our author enjoy the outdoors slowly and meditatively

I want to love winter walking, but I have two problems. One, I’m not very keen on winter: it makes me lazy, and probably gives me Sad (seasonal affective disorder). Leaves go mushy, and underfoot becomes slushy. Rain turns torrential, cold and – around Pendle Hill, Lancashire, where I live – slanty. Gales mean mental turbulence, at least for me.

The other, more serious, problem is that I tend to walk too fast. To do that, I need to keep a close eye on the terrain, so I walk with my head bowed (I’m 6ft 3in, so this is almost a reflex). My mind is focused on the summit, even when I pretend it isn’t. If I see a slope, I speed up; once on it, I race against myself. I’m no mountaineer – I’m talking the Pennine moors, not K2. I am assailed by a drive to arrive. Then, I sit down, wolf a sandwich and quaff hot tea. I even do that breathlessly, as if I had an appointment to keep, or a clock to beat.