As we look back over National Walking Month 2017 - 1 May to 31 May - its as good a time as any to look at how walking and the outdoors can influence your photography.

With summer just around the corner, why not grab the camera and go for a long walk? Let nature be your muse, as you wander until something sparks your interest. You can go through an entire roll of film to get the perfect canvas-worthy photograph, so where better to search than parks, towns and the coast?

National Walking Month 2017

The campaign promotes the benefits of walking no matter what your level of fitness is. Walking is free and excellent for weight loss and health - both physical and mental.

This year's challenge was not only to take up walking, 20 minutes every day in May, but it was also to test out and build a picture of how walkable the UK streets are.

Capture the route

Do you have a favourite walking route? You can create a photo diary of your walk, capturing your favourite bits along the way. Grand-looking trees, dogs frolicking about and photographs of your fellow walkers could be included.

The UK is bursting with gorgeous trails through forests, by beautiful coastlines and on atmospheric hilltops.

Top trails in the UK

The Telegraph recently listed the top 1o walking holidays in the UK. This list could give you inspiration of where to go, as well as nudging you towards a longer walking jaunt than 20 minutes each day. Have you considered a walking holiday?

• The Calf & Cautley Spout, Howgill Fells, Cumbria
• Ben Nevis via Carn Mor Dearg, Scottish Highlands
• Edale skyline, Peak District
• Blencathra via Sharp Edge, Lake District
• Pumlumon, Mid-Wales, Cambrian Mouontains
• The Coniston Round, Lake District
• Ben Lui, Scottish Highlands
• Weymouth to Swanage, Dorset
• The Saddle via Forcan Ridge, Northern Highlands
• Bochlwyd Horseshoe, Snowdonia

There's lots to choose from there!

Tales of British weather

Even though we have sunny days coming our way, it is the UK and we can't always rely on clear skies and glorious natural light to make our photographs.

Being ready and willing to tackle all kinds of weather will give you a great selection of walking images to choose from. Come rain, hail, snow or strong winds, you need to be ready to point and shoot. As our main image shows, even a cold and misty day can offer up excellent photographs.

If you are lucky enough to live by the coast, or you decide to take your legs and your camera to a seaside destination, check out our guide to coastal photography. We also have a blog post on the best UK cliffs to capture - very impressive subjects for your outdoor photography exploits.