The first of Lucy's posts follows below.

In what can probably only be described as an early-life crisis, my husband, Nick, and I have decided to take sabbaticals from work to walk across America (3,000 miles, or the equivalent of walking down Oxford Street 2,400 times) for charity. It's going to be a bit of a change from sitting at desks and typing furiously (or at least pretending to in Nick's case). Initially, people are often a bit jealous of the fact that we're upping sticks for a year and leaving work to go abroad. And then it dawns that walking 3000 miles is both a bit tiring and a slightly odd way of seeing a country. “Why don't you drive across?” usually follows. We normally point out that it wouldn't be as much of a challenge to do that, really.

We're not seasoned walkers or ramblers, we're not even particularly fit. That hasn't deterred us yet, although it might catch up with us mid-walk. We have been doing some practising so far, which largely revolves around walking from our flat in Finsbury Park to work in Bethnal Green and Victoria every morning whether rain or shine. It's something we recommend that people do anyway, even if they're not planning a cross-continental walk; it's a much nicer alternative to the tube, cheaper and better for the environment. Plus it gives you the element of moral superiority over your motorised transport dwelling colleagues.

We'll be walking to raise money for a charity we set up; The Pamir Trust. The charity was born following a visit to Tajikistan in 2009, one of the poorest countries in Asia, where we were met with incredible hospitality and have wanted to give something back ever since. The Trust works with communities in the country, who identify what their area's specific needs are, and we then work closely together to support these projects and improve long term prospects in the region. This could be building a bridge to gain access to a hot springs (and therefore attract tourists to a town), or buying a marvellous fruit drying machine, to create employment for local people.

Our walk will take us through the Deep South of the U.S.A.; we'll be starting in Georgia, on the coast near Savannah, We'll then slowly creep through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, before the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona and hopefully the Pacific Ocean at San Diego. Along the way, we're looking forward to experiencing all of the food that America can throw at us; chilli cook offs, shrimp, pecan pies…

As I said, we're not experienced walkers at all – so we're hoping to tap into the collective knowledge of walkit.com readers. Any tips for long distance walking, good places to stop off or just words of encouragement (let's face it, we'll need them!) gratefully received. We'll come back to WalkIt periodically during the walk to update on how we're getting along, but in the meantime you can find out more (and also make a donation to our charity, The Pamir Trust) on our website, www.walkamerica.co.uk.

There is a lot of good work going on in London, funded by various Boroughs and TfL, but questions have been raised about the priorities at the very top of London government with regard to cleaning up the capital's air.

In response, Transport for London (TfL) points out that it has provided funding for the Boroughs to implement sustainable transport and air quality related schemes as well as implementing its own schemes that actively promote and engage with the public, employers and schools, and that its intensive work in this area has been ongoing for the past 5 years.

If you are planning a walk, and air pollution is of concern to you, walkit.com offers low pollution routes in London and Cambridge. While our routing avoids the worst of London’s NO2, rather than the particulates currently at the centre of the debate, it’s a very useful tool for avoiding the very worst of the city’s poor air quality.

We won’t pretend it's the complete solution, but if you can substitute some of your car, taxi or bus journeys in the city by walking or cycling – you’ll be reducing your own contribution to the problem.

You can read more about our low pollution routes here , more of the background in the Guardian's piece here , and follow at least some of the tweets here. Information about TfL's latest initiative to help businesses play their part in increasing adoptions of sustainable travel and improving local air quality can be found here.

This article was updated on 7 October 2011 in order to add information about the initiatives TfL has been involved in in order to address the issue of poor air quality in London.

The initiative is based on research commissioned by Rohan, and starts with a funky-sounding foot scan, followed by advice on suitable footwear and bespoke walking exercises.

Initially the StrideFit programme is limited to a four store pilot. The good news is that one of those stores is in an area covered by walkit.com.

If StrideFit sounds interesting to – you can read more from the press release below, which includes locations and key date information.

If you do participate – why not drop us a line to describe the experience, and we can share it with other walkit.com users in anticipation of the programme's anticipated nationwide roll out?

_BEGINS

Rohan StrideFit launches with Matt Roberts

Original British technical clothing company, Rohan, has teamed up with celebrity personal trainer Matt Roberts to help people enjoy the benefits of walking – with a new, free walking fitness programme, ‘Rohan StrideFit’, which launches on 11 September 2011.

Research shows that although 62% of adults would like to walk outside for exercise more often1, 14% don’t know how to get started and 16% are worried they are not fit enough. In response, the 12-week Rohan StrideFit programme has been developed with long-time Rohan supporter, Matt Roberts – one of the world's leading personal trainers, who is responsible for creating some of the most famous physiques in fashion and music – including Naomi Campbell, Tom Ford, Amanda Holden and Mel C.

Embracing the Rohan ethos of ‘Live More, Outdoors’, StrideFit is designed to build walking confidence and enjoyment for everyone from novices to experienced walkers. It is a programme of exercises to increase strength and mobility incorporated into guided local walking trips – because research shows that 24% of people would be encouraged to walk outside for exercise more if they had information about local walking paths.

At the launch, StrideFit participants will have their walking ‘type’ assessed with an RSscan footscan® which provides an analysis of individual foot posture. This combined with information about the sort of walking a person would like to do will help trained advisors recommend the most appropriate footwear for people’s needs.

Becky Serieys, Rohan Brand Development Manager, says: “The programme is designed to show people just how easy walking for exercise is, and how it can fit into everyday lifestyles – because a third (32%) say that lack of time prevents them walking more often. We also know that people can be put off by not knowing what kit to buy, or thinking that it will be too costly – through this initiative we want to help would-be walkers choose the right kit that will last a lifetime. And autumn is the perfect time to get started because there are hundreds of walking events taking place across the country for people to take part in.”

Matt Roberts says: “We have a growing exercise problem in the UK – our research is consistent with this view, with a quarter of all adults (23%) walking outside for exercise less than once a month. So we’ve developed Rohan StrideFit to help show people that walking for exercise can be done by and can benefit everyone. StrideFit is not just for walkers, it’s open to anyone, with any level of fitness – so we hope it provides a good incentive to get involved.”

StrideFit launches on 11 September 2011 in four pilot stores across England and if successful will roll out to 20 new stores in the New Year.

Visit http://www.rohantime.com/ for more information and sign up at participating stores. Matt Roberts’ team of fitness experts will be on-hand at each store launch in:

Winchester, Hampshire – 11 September 2011
Kensington, London – 17 September 2011
Hay-on-Wye, Wales – 18 September 2011
Beverley, North Humberside – 24September 2011

“Walking does not kill polar bears, does not encourage laziness, and does not result in you getting stuck in traffic – for these reasons, it's way better than cars.

Walkit.com is the 'go to' site for walking directions, and now there's a pretty cool app…it's an investment you'll quickly make back in petrol or bus fares.  Get walking.”

During our conversation, it transpired that Charlie, along with his mum, is at the beginning of a 4 week expedition to cycle from Brighton to Scotland with his mum, in aid of Mary's Meals – a charity school that sets up feeding projects in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education.

Charlie is 11 years old.

I asked Charlie to send me a few words to explain why he's doing it, with the promise that I would put his story on the blog, and hopefully raise a bit more profile for his efforts (though frankly it doesn't look to me like he needs anyone's help). Over to Charlie:

“I've been doing charity work since I was 4 for many causes, and have raised over £22,000 but I now focus on Mary's meals which feed starving children all over the world and also educates them, as they get fed at school, and less than 2p can feed a child for a day and £6.15 can feed a child for a whole year.

Many many many many many thanks”

If you want to support Charlie in his efforts, why not pop over to his Just Giving donations page. As things stand he has raised £13,465 of his £15,000 target.

Good luck Charlie.

Wherever you go in London, you have to walk a good deal of it. Whether you're commuting to work or enjoying the sights, sounds and scents of the city at the weekend, you're going to cross most of it on foot. Which is just as well, because London looks fantastic on a warm, sunny day.

Unfortunately, the weather's taken a turn for the worse, so when I left the office recently after a hard day's work to be greeted by torrential rain, I found nowhere to hide from the constant downpours.

There's absolutely no cover in the city and certainly not enough trees to walk under and try to stay dry like out in the country.

Fortunately, I'd flat packed a waterproof jacket in my bag! My other half had bought it for my birthday and I remember commenting how it was rather redundant in the middle of summer. But it turned out to be the perfect gift after all.

So as I walked to the underground station, safely wrapped in jacket with hood up and hands in pockets, others ran in the rain, took shelter in bars and coffee shops or simply stayed at work.

When you consider how many people have invested in smart phones and similar sleek accessories, it's surprising how few have packable waterproof jackets. Nowadays waterproof clothing tends to look very smart as well, so it's not like you have to publicly embarrass yourself by wearing a bright red cagoule!

Best of all, if you walk to and from work to keep fit you don't have to worry about getting wet, even if it's preferable to cramming on to a bus. However, for my longer walks I am considering some waterproof trousers as well. There's only so much a waterproof jacket can protect -and that doesn't usually include your legs.

Strangely, an almost Batman-like transformation seems to take place as you pull packable waterproof clothes from out of an office briefcase before marching off into the rain. Clients also seem impressed when you arrive and quickly pack all your waterproofs away in impeccable style. Ironically, this kind of clothing is reasonably affordable and available to everyone.

Meanwhile, I plan to meet up with some friends in central London this weekend for a sightseeing stroll. So while it looks like the weather could stay warm and sunny this Sunday, I can easily pack my waterproof jacket into my rucksack just in case.

When waterproof jackets (Berghaus and North Face in particular) are affordable, smartly styled and easy to flat pack, it really is a surprise just how few people have them.

• Nearly 70% said that walkit.com had encouraged them (at least once) to walk in place of using another mode of transport
• Over 31% said they were now either 'always' or 'often' walking instead of using a car (34% for taxis).
• Over 55% said they were taking at least an extra hour of exercise each week as a result of using walkit.com.

• London dominates in terms of usage
• The top request for a new UK city was Brighton (abroad it was Paris)
• The best thing about the site was its 'ease of use' (overwhelming response)
• The improvement requested most was coverage of more towns and cities
• Very few respondents were annoyed by the ads on the site (phew!)
• 66% were lasses v 33% lads
• Over 40% use Facebook daily!

What would be your top choice for a new UK city/town for us to launch in?

Brighton was out in front, with Bath, Liverpool and York tying for second, followed by Oxford.

If you'd like us to launch walkit.com in cities in Europe or North America, please enter up to 3 city choices below.

Paris was way out front as people's first choice, followed (in order) by New York, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Berlin.

What's the best thing about walkit.com?

'Ease of use' was the resounding answer to this one, followed by the estimated walking times, and the option to select different route types (direct v less busy).

What do you think is the single most important thing we should do to make walkit.com better?

Much the most common request was for us to expand into new areas.  Other major requests were for better quality and clearer mapping, more footpath data, and an Android mobile phone app.

One wet and windy Sunday morning in June I was invited on The London Circle Walk and found myself standing on Tower Bridge at 10am, along with a dozen new friends ready to explore the capital.

Surprisingly enough, no-one had been put off by the rain and instead arrived in full waterproof clothing. Which was just as well, because we were in for a wet one!

The London Circle Walk would last for several hours, with a couple of stops along the way and take us through the diverse culture of the capital down all manner of zigzagging streets.

Where there was a fence, we jumped over it. Where there was a brick wall, we walked around it. But the aim was to stick as closely to the line of the imaginary circle as possible.

Like all great ideas, the concept for The London Circle Walk was conceived in a pub many years ago. Inspired by the land artist Richard Long, who was noted for tracing circles and straight lines over stretches of countryside, friends Michael Brunstrom and Tim Wilson devised the route around the capital.

The walk takes advantage of convenient crossing places of the Thames and runs through Camberwell, Stockwell, Chelsea Bridge, Hyde Park Corner, Oxford Circus, Russell Square, Clerkenwell and Moorgate before arriving back at Tower Bridge.

There was plenty of chatter along the route which took us through a rich cross section of life, terrain, architecture and entertainment along with all the sights, sounds and scents of the city.

Even in the rain it was a fantastic experience and on a sunny day I imagine the walk to be even more spectacular. With bus garages, museums, universities, giraffes, a hospital, a high security police station and a theatre along the way, we ran close to the main attractions, but never strayed towards them. Instead we walked, talked and wandered off the beaten track, discovering all kinds of things.

So if you’re tired of walking the same old routes, why not get out for the day and explore another city? Having been on The London Circle Walk, I’d highly recommend it to anyone. Not just to stretch your legs, but to embrace the culture of the city itself and make a few new friends on the journey.

And we're May – what's it going to look like in August?!

In fact, Bernie Spain Gardens is a gem, even in drought:

So if you're trailing down London's South Bank, and want a bit of respite from the melee, you can find it just behind the Oxo Tower/Gabriel's Wharf.

More here:

www.coinstreet.org/developments/berniespaingardens.html