We are lucky to live in the northern part of Bangalore, surrounded by some of the large academic campuses of Bangalore city. Within walking distance from home is the stunning campus of the Indian Institute of Science – IISc (400 acres). Not far from IISc is the Sankey Lake and its beautiful walking path. Closer home is the vast University of Agricultural Sciences- UAS (1300 acres). 800 acres of this is occupied by Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK)…and between the various campuses of the UAS at Hebbal, lies the beautiful Hebbal Lake.
We’re spoiled for places to walk in, really! And if you don’t want to enter the campuses to walk, you could always walk the lovely tree lined streets of Raj Mahal Vilas (RMV) and its extension.
To get ready for our long walk in Spain in May and June this year, we have a daily regime that includes walking 10-15km on weekdays and 15-20km on the weekends. Every week, till we leave, we plan to throw in a hill to climb, to make sure we work those climbing muscles too.
We have a few favourite walks that we repeat. John loves his Sunday morning walks to Airlines Hotel (9km and in the heart of Bangalore city) and weekday morning squash games at the Karnataka Badminton Association. If he misses his squash, he runs 10km on the treadmill at home. As for me, my favourite morning route is around the RMV Park. I like it for two reasons – it’s a beautiful tree lined space filled with walkers and dogs and more importantly, it’s safe. Finding safe walking spaces is very important for a woman walking alone in the wee hours of the morning or after dusk in Bangalore city – you otherwise need to be constantly wary of bottom pinchers (yes, literally!) and chain/phone snatchers!
Most evenings, we try and go to GKVK and walk at least 8km. On the first couple of days that we explored GKVK and the different walking paths and roads inside the campus, we saw peacocks. Now, not a day goes by without spotting some bird we’re seeing for the first time. The campus comprises a scrub forests, plantation and orchards, besides housing rare flora and fauna. Here are some pictures from our walks in GKVK.
A Couple of Indians Walking in Spain 