Walktober Hampshire
Let's get moving this Walktober!
Get moving for our wellbeing, our community and our planet.
Walktober is a challenge held each October to celebrate International Walk to School Month. School communities are encouraged to get moving by walking, wheeling and choosing other active and sustainable ways to travel throughout the month.
In Hampshire, Walktober has been organised annually by Hampshire County Council's Travel Planning Team since 2016. Last year, more than 150 schools and settings took part, helping pupils, staff and families improve their health and wellbeing while reducing car journeys, improving air quality and easing congestion in local communities.
Registration
Sign up by Monday 28 September 2026 to join schools and settings across Hampshire taking part in Walktober 2026.
Please complete the registration form below.
Resources and competition details will be emailed to all registered schools and settings before the challenge begins.
Walktober 2025
Last year we asked schools and their pupils to be inspiring for Walktober and they certainly stepped up. We have loved reading the active and sustainable travel stories shared by schools and pupils. We are sure these have inspired others to give an active journey a go!_______________________________________________________
School competition winners
The Hayling College Travel Champion has told us, "As a secondary school, we take part in Walktober every year because it aligns perfectly with our vision of being a happy, healthy and high-performing community. Promoting active, sustainable travel is a key part of our Climate Action Plan and is especially important for us as an island school, where raising awareness of environmental responsibility and educating our wider community really matters. This year, with the initiative fully embraced by our House Leaders and supported by pupils and families, we were overjoyed to win Walktober.”
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Pupil competition winners
As you can see we had some wonderful pupil competition entries which included:
- Poems and reports explaining the benefit of active travel to our health (physical and mental), the environment and our finances.
- Write ups on how active travel makes us feel – energised, relaxed, connected, calm etc.
- Photo collages and maps showing challenges undertaken - such as leisure time walks and bike rides – including route planning, weather checking, consideration of appropriate clothing/accessories etc.
- Beautiful stories about mindful walks to school – connecting with the world around us: finding worms, pine cones and observing the leaves changing colours through the month.
- Lovely drawings using conkers, acorns and leaves collected on active trips.
- Reports on taking the bus to school – how to take a bus and how travelling this way creates quiet time for reading a book or observing the world around us.
- Scavenger hunts - spotting an object each day of the school journey, helping to get to know the local area.
- And even a video reel of a pupil telling a Halloween themed joke each day of Walktober whilst travelling actively to school (in all weathers)!
Both competitions were fully funded by the UK Government.