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Walk off that Christmas dinner

If every person took to the streets, fields or beaches after their festive treats, then families in England could walk a combined 50 million miles on Christmas Day alone.

But with a typical Christmas lunch of turkey and pudding clocking up almost 1,500 calories – over half of men’s recommended daily calorie intake and three quarters of women’s – Walk4Life, part of the Change4Life movement, is calling on families to bring back this Christmas tradition.

To celebrate the return of the traditional Christmas walk, Walk4Life has teamed up with the Ramblers to release the top ten English walks to inspire families to get on their feet.

Hobbit home

They include a walk round famous London landmarks, a trek through the Birmingham bog that Tolkien based the hobbits’ Shire home on, and a wildlife walk in Highfield Country Park, Manchester.

Public Health Minister Gillian Merron said: "Walk4Life is part of our groundbreaking Change4Life campaign which is supporting families to ‘eat well, move more and live longer’ throughout the year."

Tom Franklin, Ramblers Chief Executive, said: "Winter is a great time to go walking - there's nothing like a crisp winter day and the kids will really enjoy themselves if it snows.

“But it's also important to stay active and make the best of the short daylight hours by getting out of doors, helping you walk off the mince pies and avoid the post-Christmas blues.

“That's one reason why our annual Festival of Winter Walks with Nature Valley is so popular - there are over 850 free led walks taking place across Britain between Boxing Day and 3 January, so there's bound to be one near you."

Further information

• Ramblers winter walks Opens new window

• Change4life Opens new window