Worcestershire launches 'Walk This May' challenge
- Worcestershire County Council, Herefordshire Council and Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire opened the 2026 “Walk This May Challenge,” urging residents to join free guided walks from May 1 to May 14. - Organizers said this year’s programme includes accessible walks lasting 10 to 90 minutes, after participants logged 4,723.18 miles in 2025 — equal to walking the counties’ 53-mile border 89 times. - The challenge is tied to National Walking Month and builds on a cross-county health-walk network backed by both councils. (activehw.co.uk)
Worcestershire and Herefordshire have opened the 2026 “Walk This May Challenge,” with free group walks scheduled from Friday, May 1, to Thursday, May 14. (worcestershire.gov.uk) (activehw.co.uk) The campaign is being led by Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council, which said the walks are aimed at residents “of all ages and abilities.” (activehw.co.uk) (herefordshire.gov.uk) Organizers said the 2026 programme includes free, friendly walks ranging from 10 to 90 minutes, with local schedules published through Worcestershire Health Walks and Herefordshire Wellbeing Walks. (worcestershire.gov.uk) (herefordshire.gov.uk) The format turns walking into a shared mileage target: participants are asked to see how many times they can collectively cover the 53-mile border between Herefordshire and Worcestershire. (herefordshire.gov.uk) (worcestershire.gov.uk) That target comes with a recent benchmark. In the 2025 challenge, walkers across the two counties logged 4,723.18 miles, or about 7,600 kilometres, which organizers said equaled 89 laps of the border. (activehw.co.uk) (herefordshire.gov.uk) This year’s campaign is part of National Walking Month, the annual May push used by the partnership and both councils to promote walking and wheeling as low-cost physical activity. (activehw.co.uk) (worcestershire.gov.uk) The councils are also tying the challenge to existing local walking infrastructure. Worcestershire says its Health Walks programme runs year-round with volunteer walk leaders and community groups supporting residents to stay active. (worcestershire.gov.uk) (activehw.co.uk) The immediate ask is simple: residents can turn up to a walk of their choice during the May 1-14 window and add their miles to the cross-county total. (herefordshire.gov.uk) (worcestershire.gov.uk)
