This June month’s challenge is going to be an easy one.
★★★Take a walk with a map★★★
☆☆☆ And let us know about your map walk by posting here on our Active10 forum using the hashtag #MapWalk” in your title ☆☆☆
Annabel Street’s chapter on walking with a map is short. It tells a bit about the origin stories behind the woman who designed the first London A-Z map, the connection between memory loss and cognitive functions such as map reading, Alzheimer’s and navigational skills, spatial memory and the hippocampus, and our internal cognitive maps.
I like maps. Let me correct that: I love maps. I’ve been known to spend a longer time before a walk with a map than on the walk. The planner in me delights in the carefully drawn, symbolic abstractness that represents our real world so well. In our house, there are walking maps, historic maps, tourist maps, and funny maps! And my favourite app for my running and walking is - yes - a map app: the free footpath app with open-source mapping, and UK Ordnance Survey maps for a small subscription. So this one is an easy one for me!
Annabel Street also has some tips for us:
👣 She suggests to peruse maps before you head out, and whilst you are navigating and also after. (very easy for map lovers!)
👣 Do this whilst matching landmarks on the map and in reality, as landmarks are also proven to stick in our memory. Especially if they have an additional personal connection (ice-cream shops, anyone?)This is called landmark-based piloting and is a thing!
👣 Interestingly she also talks about how we use ALL senses to navigate, smell being an important but under-rated one.
👣 Compasses are great, digital or analog.
👣 It’s a great activity to do with children, training their spacial brain-muscles.
👣 And try to return without using your map, only your memory. (whaaat! Put away my map???)
So, this months:
★★★Take a walk with a map★★★
☆☆☆ And let us know about your map walk by posting here on our Active10 forum using the hashtag #MapWalk” in your title ☆☆☆
Readings from
Annabel Street (2021): 52 ways to walk. The surprising signs of walking for wellness and joy, one week at a time. Chapter 24 : Walk with a map.