From a hardcore trek to a leisurely amble, walking is the activity that never stops giving.

It gets us from A to B, lets us explore new places and takes us outdoors, filling our lungs with fresh air, topping up vitamin D reserves and connecting us with nature. It's great exercise too; research suggests regular walks can help reduce the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

Four happy-steppers share their stories...

• ‘I’ve made friends’ - “Walking has been the best way to meet people in a new area, while taking in the beautiful places and enjoying the fresh air,” says Angela Munn, who joined a local Young Ramblers group (www.ramblers.org.uk) after moving to a new area four years ago.

• 'It helped me recover after a stroke’ - Nordic Walking uses poles to enhance the all-over fitness benefits of walking; Alice Denham, who suffered a brain aneurysm in 2011, joined her local group (nordicwalking.co.uk).

“Nordic Walking helped me get back to the world again after my brain haemorrhage and stroke. It became an integral part of recovery, helping to generate the much-needed new pathways by improving the flow of oxygen to the brain in a gentle way.”

• ‘It’s valuable mother-daughter time’ – “I’ve always found walking to be perfect for uninterrupted thinking time. Being in a different environment can be great for problem-solving, so I use my morning walk to work to think about, and gear up for, the day ahead,” says Dr Paula Franklin, Bupa's UK medical director.

“More recently, walking has become a wonderful thing to do with my eldest daughter. She’s now at university and whenever she comes home, we always go for a long walk together.”

• ‘I found the real me after cancer’ – Sandra Sayce was very weak following cancer treatment, when she spotted a leaflet in her local library for a Walking for Health walk, organised by Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support (www.walkingforhealth.org.uk). Although unable to walk 50m at the time, she plucked up the courage to join in. “I’d reached the point where I needed to get to grips with living with cancer, rather than suffering from it. I’d become very isolated, and needed to get out and become more active but didn’t really know where to start” she says. “After a matter of months, I had become a regular and made so many friends. It wasn’t long before I did my walk leader training, so I could help other people enjoy the walks too.”