The normal excuse for not exercising is that people believe they live in a busy world. There is often so much to do that by the time they can commit to an exercise, they’ve put in long hours doing everything else and want to rest. Scottsville nature enthusiasts Nicky Roberts and Nancy Gill have formed a walking group to stand against the complaints that often ruin one’s motivation to get fit and stay healthy.

“Basically, we needed something to do three times a week that was easy,” says Gill, executive director of Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature, who joined the group to enjoy the benefits of walking “and for sociability!” She and Roberts began walking together on Thursday mornings and already there other people are joining in.
“You don’t have to go hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains to get a workout,” Gill says. The newly developed Scottsville Walking Group meets at Totier Creek Park, a recreational area mixed forestry and peppered with informal trails that surround a manmade lake just a few miles from the heart of the river town.

“I prefer walking out in the woods as opposed to on concrete. The terrain is always changing. Every so often, there’s a blue heron out there. It’s just peaceful,” Gill adds.
Bird lovers can enjoy the sight of pied-billed grebes and diving ducks in the deep, open waters or wood ducks in the lake’s small bays. The woods around the lake are full of woodland species. There are blue jays, cardinals, woodpeckers, and as you walk deeper into the woods, you can spy red-shouldered hawks.

“A group of people in town put the trails together a few years ago,” Gill says. “There are three different trails built by people who live down here.” The trails are color-coded. “Orange trail is very narrow and there are a lot of roots on the ground. It goes up and down quite a bit.” Families can have fun on the orange trail with its marked winding path. “The white and yellow trails are accessible for anyone.”

Gill estimates that it would take an hour and twenty minutes to walk the entire park. On Thursday, the group walk was 45 minutes long. “When you’re out there and chit chatting in the relaxed atmosphere, it’s non-competitive. You can bring the kids, bring the dog, you don’t have to wear hiking boots.”

Amidst the natural setting, it’s very isolated. “That may be a deterrent for some,” says Gill, who doesn’t own a dog or normally have someone to walk with, and though Totier Creek Park has not had any problems, “I wouldn’t go by myself! When you get a group of people together at one time, there’s safety in numbers. If somebody gets hurt, someone trips, there’s help available right away.”

Friendly people gather to walk at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday mornings in the parking lot at Totier Creek. Make the time in your morning to join Roberts and Gill and treat yourself to the kind of exercise you can enjoy, at least one day a week. For more information about Totier Creek Park, its trails, and the Scottsville Walking Group, email .