I vaguely remember, in the mid-60s, going to one of London’s theatres to watch a newly released comedy, Barefoot in the Park. As an impoverished student, I had a secret way of getting last-minute cheap theatre tickets. The production later became a successful movie with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. Going barefoot in the park was a sign of freedom.

Our earliest ancestors walked everywhere barefoot, as do some tribes even now. But we have been wearing shoes for centuries. The earliest known shoe, over 10,000 years old, was made of sagebrush bark. The development of shoes over the ages has led to cushioning that supports our feet. But it may have created problems – our foot muscles are not as strong as they should be. There is evidence that this may cause us to tread more heavily, creating extra stress on our knee and hip joints. Our feet are not as healthy as our ancestors’, and the rates of knee arthritis have doubled in the last century; obviously, other factors come into play, such as weight, repetitive stress and injuries.

Walking barefoot, we take shorter strides, landing less heavily and with our weight more evenly distributed.  Add to this the varied sensations we feel from the different surfaces we encounter.

You may have gathered that this week’s 52 Ways of Walking is “Walk Barefoot”. Will it give me the freedom of the park and Jane Fonda’s heart, or will I end up standing on some glass or, just as bad, dog poo? I will give the parks a miss.

Longridge residents will all remember a local character regularly running around the Longridge Fell road barefoot. He is still running, but the last time I saw him he was wearing trainers.  I don’t intend to walk barefoot on the roads but choose the peaty paths on the fell itself instead.

I am on the way down from the forest and once out of the trees off come my trainers.  The path looks stony, and I take hesitant steps at first. But it’s not as bad as it looks; there is often some grass one can find to give a more gentle tread. The ground is very dry and compact; sand gets between my toes. Small pebbles are to be avoided. Once I’m in my stride, I start to enjoy the experience; I also feel different textures and temperatures through my soles, which doesn’t happen when wearing shoes. There is only a small patch of mud, but I have to get into it – instant cooling for my feet as well as instant mud between the toes to wash off later. I am disappointed not to leave ‘Man Friday’ footprints for someone to follow. It’s only a half mile back to the car, and I am moving more confidently as I go. Out of the gate onto the road, and I instantly feel the heat of the tarmac.

Yes, I did enjoy that experience, more so than many other 52 Ways to Walk. I will repeat it next time up the fell and may even venture into the forest where I think the ground will be trickier. I think I could walk forever barefoot on the grass. Obviously, I haven’t ventured far enough to test my foot muscles or even strengthen them; that would take a lot of perseverance and time. I did feel less clumsy, was placing my feet more precisely, and I think I was more in balance by spreading out my toes, which is important as you age.

One can purchase ‘shoes’ that provide a more barefoot walking experience. These minimalist shoes allow the foot to move naturally. They give you the feeling of walking barefoot while still protecting your foot from injury and dirt. Something to look into, but maybe I should have done so decades ago.

I don’t intend to show too many photos of my feet. This was the path I was on; you can see how dry it was.

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As an aside, here’s what I came across in the forest earlier. Idiotic in this heatwave.

A cosy campfire!!!