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The Walk

Why do we go on long walks? From the German tradition of the wandern to urban street walking, it seems we鈥檝e always gone on long walks for reasons other than necessity. Why?

Why do we go on long walks? Aside from the seemingly obvious health benefits of exercise, what is it about walking which has had such long-lasting appeal? The German film director Herzog described walking as 鈥渟piritual鈥 whilst Charles Dickens used walking to plot his novels.

From the German tradition of the wandern to urban street walking, it seems we鈥檝e always gone on long walks for reasons other than necessity. Why? Mike Williams puts on his walking boots and goes in search of answers.

(Photo: Hikers walk along a path as what remains of the Findelgletscher glacier near Zermatt, Switzerland. Credit: Getty Images)

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18 minutes

Last on

Mon 28 Jul 2014 08:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 25 Jul 2014 18:32GMT
  • Sat 26 Jul 2014 13:32GMT
  • Sat 26 Jul 2014 22:32GMT
  • Mon 28 Jul 2014 01:32GMT
  • Mon 28 Jul 2014 08:32GMT

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