The slow death of purposeless walking...

[Spinney]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27186709

Purposeless walking in the article is described as thinking time, rather than walking to get from A to B or just for exercise.

I don't do much purposeless walking, but I do do a fair bit of purposeless cycling (well, it's about getting some exercise as well, but it does allow thinking time.)

Anyone else go for a ride just to think?

 

[MontyVeda]

yes. I'll occasionally just go for a walk for no reason other than a change of scenery too

 

[ScotiaLass]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27186709

Purposeless walking in the article is described as thinking time, rather than walking to get from A to B or just for exercise.

I don't do much purposeless walking, but I do do a fair bit of purposeless cycling (well, it's about getting some exercise as well, but it does allow thinking time.)

Anyone else go for a ride just to think?

Yes. All the time.

 

[Crackle]

The last time I went for a purposeless cycle ride with my head buzzing, I suddenly realized I was 40 miles from home with no money, no breakfast, no food and a terrible hunger.

I do my thinking sitting down on a rock now.

 

[tyred]

I do it all the time, either on foot or on the bike.

 

[Koga]

The last time I went for a purposeless cycle ride with my head buzzing, I suddenly realized I was 40 miles from home with no money, no breakfast, no food and a terrible hunger.

You forgot to add : and headwind to get home ....

 

[byegad]

Yes a quiet ride often gets my head clear and allows me to think things over.

 

[ayceejay]

I think this is one of the problems with growing up - everything you do is supposed to be purposeful or have a meaning. Whereas children can daydream or gaze out the window at nothing and nobody thinks it is a problem.
The purpose of riding a bike for me is 'riding a bike' and although this may sound too zen for some tastes it works for me and if someone asked me where I was going I would have to say "home" because that is where I end up eventually.

 

[raleighnut]

The ride may start out purposeless but then you come to a nice pub and it would be churlish not to stop for a reflective pint (or three).

 

[Brandane]

When I first started getting into cycling on a more than casual basis, I used to love just going out for a purposeless ride, as in "I wonder where this road/path goes - only one way to find out".
As I get to know where all the local roads go to, I find myself having to explore further away, which usually involves trains.

 

[Dave 123]

I'm not sure I think a lot whilst riding.

My lovely wife would add that I'm not capable of thought full stop!

 

[Deleted member 35268]

I go out in the Chilterns every lunch time, 15 mile loops.during which I think about problems at work, projects, money, family, bikes. It really clears my mind, it helps alot. Sometimes, if I am lucky, I think about nothing at all.

 

[ColinJ]

I realised the other day that most of my rides are made up of informal intervals. I might spend 15 minutes bimbling along at 10-15 mph, then come to a short climb of 10-20% which I attack as hard as I can, then it is back to bimbling to recover. During my recovery periods, I think about the scenery, the meaning of life, books, whatever, so in a way that is 'purposeless'.

As for walking ... a friend works 2 miles away on top of a steep hill. I walk with her to work for her evening shifts, and to meet her from her morning shift. There is no purpose to it other than the pleasure of the walking, and to keep fit. Oh, and I suppose views like this help ...

 

[GaryA]

I am quite addicted to x-country walking I go on long lonely rambles on sundays when I havnt got my son staying. I play classical music on the MP3 player and go off on dead-ends and sometimes get lost...Ive done this for over 2 years now as a recovery/coming to terms with my marriage break up in 2012...I feel a calling of the rural landscape and i go..in the summer I quite often cant bear going home to an empty hose so I head off straight after work miss tea, and walk until its dark or I'm physically tired once i did two evening walks around Barnard castle totalling 18mile and it was dark when i got back to the car with owls hooting in Romaldkirk...it felt like a cleansing process.

 

[gbb]

I dont really do purposeless walking, or cycling, but I do purposefully walk or ride whenever I can, whether its 500 yards to the shop (some people cant concieve of walking THAT far), or walk 2 miles with the wife to my parents..just because its a nice way to get there...or cycle a 20 mile round trip to go shopping for something specific..again, something most people wouldnt even think of it, let alone do it.

I dont cycle as much as I used to, but will fight against using the car at any opportunity.

On holiday, we thoroughly enjoy walking aimlessly for miles...to the next town for instance. Crikey, we've arrived back knackered sometimes...but thoroughly enjoyed it.