The big difference between walking or hiking in rural areas or out in the wilderness is the terrain underfoot. Obvious? Yes, but then people sometimes overlook the obvious. Walking across even the kind of terrain you might come across in my part of the World - the Heart of England - it soon becomes apparent that what appears to be a smooth, grassy field turns out to be rough and lumpy. Good boots will help support your ankles but how about your balance? That's where walking poles and sticks come in.

Consider this: why do four-legged animals - dogs, horses, goats etc. - seldom lose their footing to the extent they fall over? The answer is simple: they have four 'points of balance'. Four compared to our two. So it seems logical that, if we had four points of balance we would be more stable when crossing uneven ground. Now I'm not suggesting for a minute we should go on all fours and scuttle, crab-fashion, whenever we're crossing rough patches! However, it seems obvious that four legs are better than two for balance - so how do we achieve this?

The answer is simple: walking poles or sticks. The modern take on this is to use two ski-type poles (the early models were simply ski poles with the 'saucer' removed). The purpose-made type can be adjusted for length to suit the user and are very light. As for myself, I use an ash walking staff that I've had for years - I like to keep one hand free and you can't pin your walking badges to metal poles! Even this 'three-legged' stance improves my security of balance immensely and I never go walking without it.

There's another benefit and it's not just for people who have attained 'a certain age'. Using walking poles takes a lot of strain off your knees - about 20% is the usual estimate - and ski guides have been using them for years for exactly this purpose. Knees take a dreadful pummeling when you're skiing and the ski guides - who do it all day long - figured out long ago that taking weight of the knees when walking was a good thing.

There's a growing popularity, too, for Nordic Walking. Although beyond the scope of this article, it basically involves 'power walking' using walkingpoles to assist - and you can do it anywhere! It's reckoned to be a marvellous all-body exercise.

In summary, I would recommend that if you do even a small amount of walking that's going to take you off the beaten track, you investin a couple of walking poles - or even a good ash staff!