Winter can throw up a few challenges for the car-free walker. Bus or train services might not run as frequently as in the summer months, and waiting for the bus in sub-zero temperatures is less appealing than at other times of the year. And for those without axes and crampons, many of our finest mountains are out of reach.

This has slightly truncated my ability to head for the hills at the drop of a hat, but I have learnt that becoming a parent doesn’t have to mean the end of car-free adventures – it just means the adventures start a little nearer to home.With a little extra expenditure and planning, children can easily become car-free walkers – much as they were for the millions of years before the age of the automobile.

During six years living in Brighton, the South Downs doubled as my backyard: peaceful hikes around Telscombe and Castle Hill; regular jaunts over to Lewes; taking visitors to Arundel and the Seven Sisters. And many, many weekends spent hunting for lost DofE groups anywhere from Washington to Beachy Head.