To dislike social walks?

[ForTonightGodisaDJ]

I think it's daft and a waste of time. How can you talk to someone properly. Fair enough if you're walking the dog or nature watching with binoculars but to walk just for the sake of it when it is a social event seems odd. I've a friend who has asked me to meet up for a 2 hour walk. Great😊I've asked if I can bring my dog.

Light hearted.

How can you talk to someone properly

Er… are you seriously saying you’re not able to walk and talk at the same time?

I love them. Exercise and fresh air and you don't notice the miles going by because you're busy chatting (not sure why you think it's difficult to talk while walking)

How do you cope walking the dog then? Because the place you're going there is....home?

I love walking. I prefer to walk alone (but I prefer to do pretty much everything alone!) but I do enjoy walks with others too.

I love a social walk. I wish the weather would improve so I could do it more often.

I've just walked about 6 miles around London because that had a purpose.

I meet weekly with a really good friend for a walk, and it definitely has a purpose: walking & talking and time together . We used to meet in coffee shops - too public, time is rationed by the length of s coffee - but started walking during Covid and never stopped. We’d never go back to meeting in coffee shops now.

it’s a bit like having good chats while driving or doing the dishes: shoulder to shoulder, less direct eye contact, can really help people open up and share things they wouldn’t otherwise.

i used to dislike what you call social walking - pointless, aimless, meandering around for the sake of it. I still do dislike being coerced into walks, but I can’t deny that I love a walk and a chat without a friend now.

I love walking and talking with friends. Did it this afternoon as it happens.

I love walks with friends, especially with a cheeky pub stop mixed in! Walks with kids though, like hell on earth. I don't understand these 'family walks' people go on, my kids just whinge.

I love walking with my friends. I go a few times a week. The purpose is to see the amazing countryside, get some fresh air and exercise and talk with my friends. We chat the whole time and usually grab a coffee afterwards.

I live in a beautiful part of the country which helps.

Mine loves it. Looks for the birds, plays with sticks, collects leaves etc, counts ladybirds. And usually is happy to just chill in front of a film when we get back, giving us some quiet time.

That's our point in the family walks anyway.

You can have a nice chatty walk and then go for a nice chatty coffee afterwards. I have a friend I do this with regularly and it’s one of my favourite things to do. Bonus points for National Trust shortbread with my coffee.

I love them, but I'd always bring the dog, and all my friends have dogs too so I guess they have a purpose other than just "going for a walk".

I went out with a friend and his new pup on NYE - we chatted, the dogs played, then it was back to his house with his partner and the older dogs for drinks and sausage rolls. It was lovely.

I hate having to keep to someone else's place and the joy of walking is to take in the scenery and the quiet.

Finally.

A gentle stroll and natter is a great way to socialise and you "earn" your coffee shop treat

I love walking. Would go slightly bonkers if I couldn't do it.

Yes this!

I hate talking while walking - unless it's somewhere like Oxford st!

Walking in the countryside should not be ruined by conversation- the only exception being praise for the dog for being a good boy, and comments on the dog / weather to other dog walkers in passing.

If the wind is blowing in your face or if it's drizzling.

This is absolutely true. Walking is not for socializing.

Sort of get you, make it not random. Walk somewhere nice, notice what lives there, find out the names of the plants, trees and birds. I got an app to help identify the plants and bird sounds, working on trees.

Going further, do the same walks through the year in different seasons and take photos. Landscapes look static, but they change between seasons and years. They are dynamic, and interesting, but we pass through too fast to notice. Left alone, plants affect the soil quality and nutrients and that in turn changes everything else about them. What grows, what animals use it, literally everything really

What type of landscape? If you find out then you can find simple summarise and learn a bit about them

But I was walking to get somewhere - you didn't need to go on a walk to talk to your friend, you could have done that sitting down. You sound like you used to be like me but then you miraculously changed your mind! Can't see that happening to me somehow 😝

"I disagree with the good quality conversation I think that's partly why I don't like it. I like to sit and actually relax and face the person. You can't talk properly if the wind is blowing in your face or if it's drizzling."

That may be your preference but some of the deepest conversations I've had with my children have been when they could avoid eye contact, and a walk or a drive is ideal for this. Forced eye contact can be inhibiting for some people.

Same for me!

I’d never go on another walk with a friend who has a dog with them, did it the once took a bloody age at a slow pace as she had to keep stopping for her dog to sniff around the paths and ‘talk’ to other dogs - was a bit of a chore in the end 😂

I love meeting a friend for a walk because we have a great uninterrupted conversation but I feel that I didn't just waste 2 hours sitting because we were actually exercising and walking

I don’t really like pointless walks either. I walk loads, it’s my main form of transport, walk the school run, walk my commute. But walking for no reason just annoys me.