To mark the start of Walk to Work Week, I walked to work this morning. This wasn’t in light of my recent volcanic experience, although it did give it extra relevance.

I have to admit, it was quicker than I thought. I did my 4.3km journey (don’t some people go on fun runs shorter than that?) from flat to office in just under an hour. And according to the pedometer that the nice people at walkingworks.org.uk sent me (yes folks, it’s as simple as that – send me a freebie, and I will write about it. If there’s a Drive Your Audi to Work Week, I’d happily perform the necessary U-turn), I burnt 499 calories in the process. Which, according to www.livingstreets.org.uk, is equivalent to two and a half muffins. Not that, I might add, that was what I had for breakfast.

The whole point, of course, of Walk to Work Week – from 26 to 30 April – is to get people off their bums and onto the streets, walking their way towards increased fitness and decreased carbon footprints. The organisers want workplaces to actively get involved, and have set up an online tool to allow “a workplace organiser” to track the impact of the week, and for individual employees to track their own progress. They even suggest some wacky ideas such as “hold a walking meeting” – personally, I can’t see that working. Everyone wanting to walk at a different pace, notes flying in the wind, a presentation rudely interrupted as the speaker steps in dog doo... but it’s an admirable idea.

I do feel good for the walk. Being a nice sunny day certainly helped. But I would be fascinated to know just how many of the UK’s workforce actually have a viable option of walking to work. And by viable, I mean as a regular travel alternative, not as a one-off charitable event. Looking around me at colleagues, very few fit into that category, and we’re London based. When I worked in less metropolitan areas of the country, the ratio was even less. A greater environmental impact would surely be had nationwide by an increase in car-sharing, and if cycling was encouraged as a better alternative for travelling long distances while boosting fitness levels.

However, those who can walk to work, for this week at least, should give it a go. Let me know how you get on. And a prize of a pedometer to the first person who says “it’s all very well, but I have a five-hour round-trip commute...”.