There is a particular pleasure in a good walking playlist. There is also something to be said for hearing a place without one: the change from traffic to gravel, a loose gate, a conversation drifting from a garden.
Try one familiar section with the headphones put away. You need not make a rule for every future walk. Notice whether the quiet feels welcome, awkward or simply different from what you expected.
Listening to your surroundings is especially useful around crossings and shared paths. Whatever your audio habits, keep your attention on traffic and other people, and stop in a safe place if you need to adjust a device. Volume settings do not replace looking carefully.
If silence is not enjoyable, choose another approach next time. Walk with a friend, take a camera or save the audio for a quieter part of the route where it is appropriate. The point of the experiment is to discover what helps you enjoy the walk, not to establish the most virtuous way to take one.
Everyday Motion
Ideas to make a little room in your day.
