If you have a long walk to work...

Mine is just over an hour and I absolutely love it. What else would you be doing for that length of time that's more worthwhile? Sitting?

It also means that when I get home I never have to think about finding some way to exercise or feel guilty if I decide not to. It's all been done in the course of my day.

I used to walk 35 minutes to get to work, both ways when the evenings are lighter, but only one way the rest of the year as part of the walk was on an unlit footpath.

It was great, I really enjoyed it. Probably the only thing I miss now I WFH.

That said, personally I found having a plan B lined up took the pressure off and made it enjoyable. Since cycling won't work for you, I'd be getting the bus occasionally or maybe budgeting for an occasional Uber just so you don't have a mountain to climb on the days you have a stinking cold, put your back out and have to get the cat to the vet before they shut.

See, this is a perspective I just... don't share? Walking makes me feel better. I'd only not be well enough to walk if I wasn't well enough to work anyway. I look forward to walking. But it would be a dull world etc etc.

I walk fast so I do get sweaty if I walk to work in summer carrying a heavy backpack, and of course if it's pissing rain I get damp, but I shower when I get there anyway and I can shower off again when I get home if needed.

It's nice to see that othes enjoy it but it'd be a no from me too 🤣

I couldn't be bothered with it at all.

Me and DH worked together about 10 miles from home. He would leave an hour earlier than me and I would drive and pick him up. It helped him lose about 3 stone in weight over a 3 year period, and he has kept most of it off over the next 15 years. Well worth doing.

If you'd framed it as "my child's school is a 25 min walk away. WIBU to walk all the school runs?" you'd got people piling up to tell you it would be ridiculous to do anything else 🤣

That said, personally I found having a plan B lined up took the pressure off and made it enjoyable. Since cycling won't work for you, I'd be getting the bus occasionally or maybe budgeting for an occasional Uber just so you don't have a mountain to climb on the days you have a stinking cold, put your back out and have to get the cat to the vet before they shut.

So true.

I was caught out the other day when I was heading home from work and a chap I didn't know had just parked on a nearby road and asked me the town centre is walking distance. I wasn't quick thinking enough to just tell him it was about a mile and a quarter, I just said it was if he was used to walking.

Different people have a different views of what is reasonable to walk.

Fine in good weather. A bitch when it’s not.

I used to walk 40 mins and I think its key to make sure you have a snack ready at end of the day before your walk home, as you'll be hungry, tired and irritable otherwise.

Some colleagues did find it inconceivable that anyone would want to walk for that length of time though so be prepared for bemused comments!

This whole thread is making me laugh because just about every word of it rings true with my experience but especially this comment from @Deerrobin The world is divided into people who walk several miles and think nothing of it, and people who just can't imagine it to be something anyone would do. The second group don't seem to realise that often a door to door journey with waits at bus stops or going out of your way to and from a train station can take as long or longer than walking.

Also agree that you weren't rude at all, it's all been a very pleasant and polite discussion.

I don't think I've ever felt the need to shower/change after walking either, that's always just going to vary person by person.

You weren't rude at all OP.

My commute is similar on foot and I love it, summer and winter. Prob actually prefer it in winter as not so sweaty marching along. I catch up with podcasts. Make sure you have a rucksack, not a bag, so weight is evenly distributed and good shoes.

Why ever not? Lots of people have no choice if they don't drive and have poor public transport. It is doable 99% of the time with good footwear and proper outerwear.

I walk 45 minutes to work it’s great. But I do get public transport home so I can get back quicker to see my dog.

I do 45 minutes twice a day usually - there is a bus if feeling poorly or really bad weather. Get a decent waterproof and yak trax or similar for icy mornings in January. I used to get the bus and walk home but since Covid walk both ways and generally feel a lot better. In the better weather there are alternative routes but fairly busy and well lit in winter.

My walk is about this length, do it twice a week. I enjoy it, rain or shine. Even in miserable weather, if you’re on the move and distracted by headphones then it’s really not that bad. I don’t bother with an umbrella, I just wear a waterproof coat and put the hood up. Add a heavy laptop backpack and there’s extra weight training.

yy to spare socks at work along with spare shoes.

For me, walking is how I manage my mental health, so I deliberately build an hour's walk into the commute each-way all year round. Other reasons to do it:
It usually saves money. Weight-bearing exercise is recommended to build bone density. You occasionally see something wonderful or extraordinary that you'd have missed if you weren't on foot and able to stop and have a look.
Top tips for making it work:
Carry work trousers or a skirt, and wear leggings for the walk. Carry a fold-up brolly and also a placcy bag so you can put it back in your bag when the rain stops. Put a baseball cap under your coat-hood if it's chucking down. Carry spare dry socks for the walk home! Find a space at work to keep shoes, and use a backpack, as carrying everything on one shoulder for an hour is not great for your back.
Walking is great! Good luck!

It should be pretty obvious from my user name that I don't live anywhere with wild weather. That doesn't stop me getting caught (I quote) "on the odd occasion" in a really heavy downpour and ending up walking pretty bloody quickly to get out of it. I don't sweat much either (even when running) but a quick march in layers of waterproofs can still leave me rather hot and sticky which isn't very pleasant for my fellow workers - hence needing to have a change of clothes in place and to resort to the loo to freshen up - the advice based on my experiences I've offered you on this thread.

OP you asked for people who walked to work to tell you what their experiences were and I've told you mine - if you just want to be rude when people are trying to be helpful then rock on but don't expect people to put up with too much of it.

You might do on the odd occasion if you're walking extra fast to get out of the rain and you are swaddled in waterproofs - but if it is occasional then I imagine the loo would do.