National Walking Month: Get Out and Explore
Whether you walk, wheel, or roll, May is the perfect time to enjoy accessible routes across the UK. But there's one essential item you need: your RADAR key.
National Walking Month celebrates getting outdoors, breathing fresh air, and enjoying the benefits of movement, however you move. Whether you walk with a stick, use a wheelchair, ride a mobility scooter, or simply take things at your own pace, May is the perfect time to explore the accessible paths, trails and routes across the UK.
But here's something many people don't realise until they're standing in front of a locked gate on what should be an accessible route: without a RADAR key, your walk can come to an abrupt and frustrating halt.
This National Walking Month, make sure you're equipped to enjoy every accessible route without barriers getting in your way.
Why Getting Out Matters
The benefits of getting outdoors and moving, in whatever way works for you, are significant and well-documented.
Physical Benefits
- Cardiovascular health: Regular movement improves heart health and circulation
- Muscle strength and flexibility: Even gentle movement maintains mobility
- Bone health: Weight-bearing activity (including using a wheelchair or scooter outdoors) supports bone density
- Better sleep: Fresh air and daylight help regulate sleep patterns
- Pain management: Gentle, regular movement can reduce chronic pain
Mental Health Benefits
- Reduced anxiety and depression: Being in nature has powerful mood-lifting effects
- Stress reduction: Green spaces lower cortisol levels
- Improved focus and clarity: Time outdoors enhances concentration
- Social connection: Getting out enables interaction with others
- Sense of achievement: Completing a route, however short, builds confidence
The key word here is access. All of these benefits only matter if you can actually get out and enjoy them. That's where accessible routes, and the tools to use them, become critical.
The RADAR Key: Your Access to Thousands of Routes
A RADAR key unlocks accessible toilets across the UK, but what many people don't realise is that it also unlocks gates and barriers on accessible walking routes, canal towpaths, country parks and nature reserves.
Why RADAR-Locked Gates Exist on Accessible Routes
This seems contradictory at first. Why would an accessible route have a locked gate?
The answer is about protecting access for those who need it most. Many accessible routes, particularly canal towpaths and country trails, use RADAR-locked gates to:
- Prevent motorbikes and unauthorised vehicles from using pedestrian and wheelchair routes
- Stop cyclists speeding through areas designed for slower-moving users
- Reduce anti-social behaviour in quiet, accessible green spaces
- Maintain surface quality by limiting vehicular damage to paths
- Create safe spaces where wheelchair users, mobility scooter users, and people with walking difficulties can enjoy routes without dodging bikes or cars
The locked gate isn't blocking your access. It's protecting it.
The Canal Towpath Problem
Canal towpaths are some of the most accessible walking routes in the UK. They're flat, well-maintained, and offer beautiful, peaceful routes through both urban and rural areas. They're perfect for wheelchair users, mobility scooter users, and people who struggle with hills or uneven terrain.
But here's the catch: many canal towpaths have RADAR-locked gates at access points.
These gates allow wheelchairs, mobility scooters and other mobility vehicles through while preventing motorbikes, quad bikes and unauthorised vehicles from accessing the towpath. The gates are deliberately designed to be wide enough for wheelchairs and mobility equipment, but they remain locked to everyone except RADAR key holders.
This isn't just a theoretical problem. It's a daily frustration for people who discover accessible routes they can't access simply because they don't have a key.
Getting Your RADAR Key
A RADAR key costs around £5 and lasts for years. It's one of the best investments you can make for accessibility and independence.
Who Can Get a RADAR Key?
RADAR keys are available to:
- People with disabilities who need accessible facilities
- Carers and family members supporting someone with accessibility needs
- Anyone who would benefit from accessing locked accessible facilities
There's no formal application process or proof required. If you need accessible facilities, you can purchase a RADAR key.
Your Complete Getting Out Kit
A RADAR key is essential, but it's not the only thing that makes getting out easier and more enjoyable.
Just Can't Wait Card
If you have a bowel or bladder condition, a Just Can't Wait card provides discreet access to toilets in shops, cafes and public buildings when you're out on a walk. It works alongside your RADAR key to ensure you can access facilities when you need them.
Perfect for: Anyone with Crohn's, colitis, IBS, incontinence, or conditions requiring urgent toilet access.
Blue Badge Wallet
If you're driving to your walking route, a Blue Badge wallet keeps your badge protected and clearly displayed. Hologram Safe® wallets prevent damage to the hologram that could invalidate your badge.
Perfect for: Protecting your Blue Badge while displaying it correctly.
Portable Mobility Aids
Even if you don't usually use a walking stick, having a lightweight folding stick in the car for longer walks can make the difference between enjoying a route and cutting it short.
Reacher/Grabber
A lightweight reacher in your bag means you can pick up dropped items, reach things on the ground, or retrieve items without bending during your walk.
Finding Accessible Walking Routes
National Walking Month is the perfect time to explore new accessible routes in your area.
Resources for Finding Accessible Walks
- Canal & River Trust: Search for accessible towpaths on their website. Many routes are clearly marked for wheelchair access.
- Forestry England: Offers accessible trails in forests and woodlands across the country, with clear accessibility information.
- National Trust and English Heritage: Many historic sites have accessible grounds and walking routes.
- Local councils: Most councils publish information about accessible parks, green spaces and walking routes in their area.
- Euan's Guide: Disabled access reviews of venues and outdoor spaces, including walking routes.
- Natural England: Information on accessible routes in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks.
- Sustrans: The National Cycle Network includes many routes suitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
Before visiting a new route, check:
- Surface type (tarmac, gravel, grass)
- Width of paths (can a wheelchair or mobility scooter pass comfortably?)
- Gradient (even slight slopes can be challenging for some users)
- Gate types (RADAR-locked, self-closing, kissing gates)
- Accessible toilet locations along the route
- Parking availability with Blue Badge spaces
Start Small, Build Confidence
National Walking Month doesn't mean you need to tackle a 10-mile hike. Start with:
- Local park loops: Many parks have accessible circular routes of varying lengths
- Short canal sections: Try a 15-minute walk along a towpath and turn back
- Nature reserve boardwalks: Raised boardwalks are often fully accessible and offer beautiful views
- Seafront promenades: Flat, wide, accessible routes with benches for resting
- Botanic gardens: Accessible paths through beautiful plantings with plenty of seating
The goal isn't distance. It's being outside, moving in whatever way works for you, and enjoying the mental and physical benefits of fresh air and green space.
Happy National Walking Month. Here's to accessible routes, open gates, and the freedom to explore.