I achieved 10,000 steps a day thanks to an autumn walk lined with landmarks

I feel so much better since doing this walk regularly
-Credit: (Image: Jamie Greer/Liverpool Echo)


As the nights draw in, it’s easy to become a little less enthusiastic about keeping active. However, I find it quite nice to wrap up warm and get some fresh air and hear the crunch of leaves beneath my feet.

For me, the perfect autumn walk has enough variety to keep it interesting and tons of trees so you can see the brown and orange leaves in all their glory. A route I often take has all of this and will get you to 10,000 steps without you even realising.

You can start the walk at St Michaels station in Aigburth. Turn right as you exit the station and you'll find yourself on a secluded woodland path which leads you into the Festival Gardens. There are few places in the city with a Japanese garden, several waterways and a riverside park with Southern Grasslands. At the latter you can capture some of the best sunrises and sunsets in Liverpool if you time it right.

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From there, it’s easy to cut down to Otterspool Promenade. On a calm day, the light breeze from the Mersey is incredibly refreshing. If the wind is high, you can always cut up and follow the same path slightly away from the river, taking you past Otterspool Park. Once you reach the end of the promenade at about Cressington you’ll either be at, or very close, to your 10,000 steps. Getting to this can feel like an arbitrary target but with the variety of settings on this walk it becomes a breeze.

Since I started following this route regularly this month, my average step has increased from an average 6,000 to 7,000 to more than 11,000 per day. Unsurprisingly, I've felt so much better physically and mentally since incorporating the walk into my routine.

Otterspool Promenade during the daytime
Otterspool Promenade during the daytime -Credit:Jamie Greer/Liverpool Echo

Once you get there, it’s easy to find you way back home. You’re a short walk away from Aigburth and Cressington stations, or you can catch a bus on nearby Aigburth Road. However, the beauty of this route is that it makes just as much sense to do it from the opposite direction. The advantage of this is when you arrive at St Michaels station, you can continue on and have a sit down and a bite to eat on Lark Lane. If you need something to look forward to at the end of the route, this could be a better approach. After this break, you can even continue on and take in a bit of Sefton Park.

This route captures all three south Liverpool highlights in one go. There really is something for everyone too. There’s plenty of history with the festival gardens, some of Liverpool’s best pubs and restaurants and time to simply unwind and listen to the sounds of the river.