We asked Walk1200km participants to let rip with their thoughts on whistling while you walk and how the shorter daylight hours of autumn and winter will affect their progress.

Whistling: some people can, some people can’t. Some love it, some hate it.

For a number of people, whistling is a family thing. Jill Baxter says, “I often find myself whistling, as did my dad, and brother. I had a chuckle the other day as my 13-month-old granddaughter was crawling along whistling.”

Helen Carroll recalls her Dad whistling when they walked and that “he was fantastically melodious.”

However, it doesn’t necessarily run in families. For Bronwyn Eeles, it skipped a generation: “I wish I could whistle. My grandfather was an amazing whistler. Now I listen to both my girls with green eyes. My eldest daughter whistles all sorts of songs – from musicals, the latest songs on the radio or her favourites off her Spotify playlist.”

But whistling is not for everyone – Rob Harbers hates it “with a passion” and it drives Shar McArtney “nuts”. But some speculate that there are psychological benefits – both for the whistler and their ‘audience’. Shirley Keen reckons, “I always think if someone is whistling they are happy” and interestingly, Steph finds it a subconscious reminder to breathe: “I’ve recently found myself whistling to myself when I’m nervous about a section…”.

While the history of whistling is another topic altogether, Dorine Meertens has memories from overseas of “so many (mostly) men whistling while riding their bikes in the Netherlands. She says she now always associates whistling, and the fragrance of flowers, with the Dutch. So, is whistling while you walk a lost art? Hopefully not, for Faye Gorman’s sake – she loves the sound of “a happy free spirit warbling from their own personal tree top.”

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Bracing for dark walks

Autumn’s shorter daylight hours are posing challenges for some walkers. We asked people about their plans for the even shorter days of winter.

“I have my lunch at morning and afternoon tea times so I can go for a walk at lunchtime.”
– Jen Massey

“I live in the countryside so my options are limited for walking. I tend to do small lunchtime walks during the week and longer walks at the weekend. I don’t feel totally safe walking in the dark on my own.”
– Rachel Berndt

“I walk as soon as I get home from work about 5pm and am hoping when winter comes I can get at least 30-minutes. I have walked nearly 600km in three months so when winter comes I can reduce my walks if the weather is really bad. I’m still hoping to do at least a couple of kilometres each day if possible, though. The challenge definitely motivates you to get out each day even if it is just for a small walk.”
– Jill Sinden

“I bought a bright pink poncho with reflective strips. My normal week walks are to work and back but as the days get shorter, darker and wetter I know that both ends of the day might be approaching darkness and I need to make motorists aware of my existence.”
– Nancy Burroughs