The Definition of Walking Distance – Journals from Abroad

What do you consider to be “walking distance”? How long are you willing to walk to reach your final destination? My friend and I frequently have this debate, and my definition has traditionally been rather short (5-10 minutes), where his is rather long (45 minutes to 1 hour). A lot of this has to do with where we grew up (rural area where I could walk 45 minutes from my house and barely reach the edge of town vs. an incredibly walkable city where an hour gets you everywhere you could need to go).

a road and two stone arches — more scenery outside my apartment

stone ruins of a castle; 2 partially standing walls — Terryland Castle, which I pass on my walk to campus

I’ve been thinking about this debate a lot while I’ve been abroad. I am very fortunate that Galway, like most European cities, is incredibly walkable. But, it has meant that my definition needed some massive updating. It takes me 15 minutes to walk from my student accommodation to campus for classes every day. 30 minutes to go downtown, 45 minutes to an hour if you want to wander to places like Salthill Beach or the outer edges of Galway City.

a dome and arches inside of Galway Cathedral — The interior of Galway Cathedral

an arched doorway with a red door — The entrance of St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church downtown

a white building with a blue door and a blue shuttered window — more fun architecture of downtown

ruins of old stone walls — Ruins of the Hall of the Red Earl, hiding down a little alleyway downtown

While my change in definition sounds rough, it has yielded some pretty wonderful results. By walking, I’ve been able to take things at my own pace and explore the city. For example, I’ve found restaurants and shops and street performers on pedestrian-only side streets that aren’t accessible by car.

I also have the ability to stop and photograph things I think are cool without worrying that they’re going to disappear out of view. I don’t have to worry about paying for parking. I can catch up on new music and podcasts to pass the time while I walk, consistently “close my rings” on my iPhone’s fitness tracker, and the list goes on.

a picture of board games displayed on a table — a board game/ttrpg store downtown (they also sell delicious nerdy themed donuts) 🙂

a wooden sign with arrows pointing to different places as depicted in works of literary fiction, including wonderland, narnia, neverland, and diagon alley — a sign at a local bookstore

So, if you ever want to update your definition of walking distance, I highly recommend traveling to a walkable city and exploring for a while. You might be surprised at how many little things you see that you might not have otherwise 🙂
Bye for now,
-Katie

a sailboat in a lock during sunset — a sailboat in a lock near the mouth of the Corrib River

a picture of a river and a row of houses — where the Corrib River meets the Atlantic Ocean