7 18 APRIL 2024 In my opinion NIHAL ARTHANAYAKE The broadcaster and author airs his views What exactly is the point of hiking? The genteel country pursuit can often involve being battered by horizontal sheets of rain, potentially blown o a ridge by high winds, or losing a boot to a quagmire of mud. Like one of the men commanded by the Grand Old Duke of York, you march up the hill, then you march down again. And that’s it. Once back down, you can count steps on your phone and celebrate doubling your daily total, find the nearest pub to toast your daredevil antics, then inspect your feet for sore spots and blisters – minor injuries that are physical certificates of completion. But none of these aspects of getting out into the great outdoors annoy me as much as the act of walking itself. Or more specifically, the act of doing nothing else but walking. Not a single person that I encountered on my recent hike in the Peak District seemed to want to stop and soak in the extraordinary beauty around them. Like a London commuter traversing the Underground, everybody was trying to get from A to B in the shortest time possible. Is there a hiking algorithm that commands walkers to place one foot in front of athe other and not deviate from this instruction? For some, it seemed like a race, as if they were late for a meeting. A mother rushed past me with her teenage son in tow. A group of young lads completing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award hike looked guilty for taking a short break before pushing on. Any respite from trooping through the rocky terrain was being treated as a moment of weakness. Everywhere I looked, people seemed to be rushing. Were they escaping the fast-paced tempo of the urban sprawl and inadvertently imposing that same relentless drive onto the Derbyshire countryside? Why bother visiting somewhere as stunningly beautiful as Edale and not take the time to soak in its natural beauty? Rather than revelling in time spent on a foot powered rollercoaster, reach the summit and just stop. Soak in the vista that stretches before you. Listen to the sounds of nature as they envelop you. Try and spot a bird hovering above its intended prey and watch how it divebombs in pursuit of lunch. Sit on a rock and allow your heart rate to level out, eat your sandwich slowly and let your eyes adjust to the vastness. Nihal’s book Let’s talk: How to Have Better Conversations (Trapeze) is out now. @TherealNihal ‘Why bother visiting somewhere as stunningly beautiful as Edale and not take the time to soak in its natural beauty?’ JOEL DOMMETT, 38 The Masked Singer presenter and comedian, who is running in the show’s piranha costume, completed the 2018 London Marathon in 3 hours 34 minutes “Running a marathon is like stand-up comedy – everyone should try it at least once. It’s a real undertaking, but while pushing yourself to do it, you might just nd it’s something you really love. “I’m running for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, who provide amazing end-of-life care for children and their families. I’m a patron, so when they said: ‘Would you consider doing the Marathon?’ I thought I’d go big and get the piranha costume out. I’m very excited, because this is the rst marathon where I’m not having to run unbelievably fast, and hopefully people will enjoy seeing the piranha in the esh. Or scales, I should say. “The long training runs are hard. I haven’t done a marathon for six years, so my body’s not used to it, but I’ve found a passion for running again. Having a newborn [Wilde, seven months], it’s been much easier for me to jump out of the house saying: ‘See you later, back in half an hour!’ I’m desperate to get one of those prams that you run with, but he’s not quite solid enough yet. “Foodwise, Wilde and I have porridge in the morning, and I’m obsessed with brunch, so I make lots of eggs and salmon on bagel. A Sunday roast is the perfect post-race meal. It’s so warm and comforting, like a hug. All you need at the nish line is a hug, but my wife will be at home with the baby, so I’ll have to have a hug from gravy instead.” Joel hosts In With A Shout on ITV and ITVX from Saturday (20 April). See @joeldommett on Instagram to donate EMMA BARTON, 46 The EastEnders actor (Honey Mitchell) and Jamie Borthwick (Jay Brown) will be lmed for an episode of the soap running in memory of Jay’s wife Lola, who died of brain cancer “The executive producer had the idea after our amazing storyline about Lola. When you lose somebody so tragically, you want to keep their memory alive, and people nd fundraising therapeutic. There’ll be so many running on Sunday for loved ones they’ve lost in real life. “I’m running for Children In Need, who do so much for families all over the country. I don’t have any children, so it breaks my heart when I see some of the stories. Jamie’s running for Prostate Cancer UK, so it’s lovely – we’re covering an older group and youngsters. “When you’re training, there’s a voice in your head saying: ‘You can’t do it,’ but also: ‘You’re so slow,’ but the minute you nish, you feel you could take on the whole world. Women of my age get quite tired and our hormones are all over the shop, but this really has helped. I feel more positive and energised. Just getting out in that fresh air, whether you’re walking, jogging or sprinting, is brilliant. “I’m eating so much! I’m really enjoying a bagel and peanut butter for breakfast, I make pasta with a cheesy or tomatoey sauce, and I’m into bone broth, either as a drink or added to noodles, chicken and broccoli. I did Dry January and I’ve kept that going, so in the evening I’ll have kombucha in a wine glass. “It’s exciting. So many people try and get a place, so to get this opportunity to raise money and do it in character for the show, which has never been done before, is going to be emotional. There’ll be a few tears of joy – and pain!” See @theemmabarton on Instagram to donate Photographs: Getty images, Bandicoot TV / ITV, Stockfood
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