Where did I find the courage to talk to my mum about her cancer? At parkrun, far behind the racers

Every Saturday morning, thousands of people get off their sofas to cover 5km in their local park. Like me, a growing number are there to walk rather than run – and to talk about their deepest feelings

Minority communities are edged out of the UK’s green spaces. I’m trying to change that

Access to nature should be a fundamental right, but so many barriers are still in place. Here’s how we can tear them down, says mountaineer Haroon Mota

The Norwegian secret: how friluftsliv boosts health and happiness

The idea of communing with nature is instilled from birth in Norway. I hiked through a rain-drenched forest to try it myself

‘It’s a quicker route but at your peril’: the obstacles to walking in Liverpool

The city’s Riverside district has been identified by a Ramblers’ report as the worst in England and Wales for pedestrians

Whitest parts of England and Wales have 144% more local paths, study finds

The Ramblers says poor and ethnically diverse areas miss out on health benefits of public footpaths

I walked 1,000 miles alone through Europe – and learned that fear is the price of freedom

I take risks on solo hikes, navigating animal traps and dangerous terrain. But for a woman, men are the biggest threat. I do it to be more open to the world, in the hope it will be more open to me

Runs in the family: racing around the coast of Sweden

Three days running and hiking on the stunning Bohuslän coast with my pre-teen son is joyfully exhausting

The key to a longer life? Why I tried to walk exactly 3,967 steps in a day

A study says this is the number needed to cut risk of dying from any cause – so I took on the task

Walking just 4,000 steps a day can cut risk of dying from any cause, analysis finds

Study also finds each additional 1,000 steps daily are associated with a further 15% reduction in risk

‘The magical places’: readers on their youth hostel memories

The YHA – which has provided many with cheap, yet unforgettable, adventures – is selling off 20 properties