Walk This May returns locally

A walking challenge that uses a county border as its scoreboard is back in England this spring, with Worcestershire and Herefordshire asking residents to log miles from May 1 to May 14, 2026. The target is simple: see how many times people can collectively “walk” the 53-mile border between the two counties. (herefordshire.gov.uk) The project is being led by Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire alongside Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council, which means it is not a private fitness app challenge or a one-town event. It is a cross-county campaign tied to National Walking Month. (droitwichstandard.co.uk) (herefordshire.gov.uk) Organizers are pitching it at “all ages and abilities,” and the format is deliberately low-pressure: people can join local walks rather than train for a race or pay an entry fee. That makes it closer to a community step count than a competitive charity marathon. (droitwichstandard.co.uk) (bredenburygroup-pc.gov.uk) The reason the challenge is returning is that the 2025 version drew hundreds of walkers and produced 4,723.18 miles across the two counties. Organizers translated that into a local image people can picture: enough distance to cover the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border 89 times. (worcestershire.gov.uk) (droitwichstandard.co.uk) Last year’s event was run by Herefordshire wellbeing walks groups, Worcestershire Health Walks, and Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire, so this is also a showcase for the volunteer-led walking networks that already exist year-round. The May campaign sits on top of those local groups instead of replacing them. (worcestershire.gov.uk) Worcestershire’s council described the walks in the earlier campaign as free, over easy ground, and done at a steady pace, with sessions ranging from 10 to 90 minutes. It also said the routes were accessible on foot or by public transport, which explains why officials keep framing the challenge around access rather than athletic performance. (worcestershire.gov.uk) Herefordshire’s 2026 page says residents can take part between May 1 and May 14, and local notices say people can simply turn up at a walk of their choice. The pitch is less “sign up for a program” and more “join a walk already happening near you.” (herefordshire.gov.uk) (bredenburygroup-pc.gov.uk) So the story here is not a new sport or a big-ticket event. Two neighboring counties are reusing a very ordinary habit, walking, and turning it into a shared public challenge with a concrete local measure, a two-week window, and a ready-made network of group walks to make showing up easier. (kidderminstershuttle.co.uk) (herefordshire.gov.uk)