Walkers in the Highlands

Walking must figure higher in the Scottish Government’s plans to improve the nation’s health, according to the leading group representing walkers north of the border.

The Ramblers’ Association president in Scotland, Dennis Canavan, was responding to the plan revealed by the Holyrood administration to capitalise on the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Ministers hope to improve Scots’ fitness as a ‘legacy’ of staging the Glasgow 2014 games.

While welcoming the draft plan released by the Government, Mr Canavan, a former MP and MSP, pointed out the easiest way to promote health among the majority of Scotland’s population. He said: “Walking is an activity that is available to virtually anyone.

“It is simple, free and requires no specialised equipment or major facilities. But two-thirds of the population do not complete the minimum recommended guidelines for physical activity of 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

“The Interim Plan puts a lot of emphasis on the development of physical infrastructure for sport and identifies participation in sport as a priority in securing a health legacy for Scotland.

“This is good but we must not equate increased sporting activity with increased physical activity across the population as a whole. The evidence from previous Commonwealth and Olympic Games indicates that sports development alone will not deliver the health and other benefits to the nation as a whole that are supposed to be at the core of the 2014 legacy.”

He pointed out that Scotland spends only one per cent of its transport department budget on the promotion of cycling and walking routes.

Dennis Canavan

“The First Minister needs to make it clear to his fellow ministers that priorities need to change so that there is much more support for the active travel modes of walking and cycling,” Mr Canavan added.

He continued: “Increased walking and cycling have enormous potential to significantly improve the lifestyles and aspirations of so many who live in and visit Scotland. It is fundamental that the Scottish Government recognises this potential and emphasises that such physical activity must be at the core of the final Games Legacy Plan in summer 2009.”

In the New Year, Ramblers Scotland will publish its Walk the Path to 2014 – its plan to develop walking. Included in this will be a Walk Homecoming 2009, to encourage Scotland’s residents and visitors to pull on their boots and get to their feet to discover the country’s historical, natural and cultural heritage.