I've always been a keen walker and cyclist; nothing competitive, just enjoying being out in the countryside.
This stems from the smashing holidays I had as a youngster; long walks with my Mum and sister on the Fife coast of Scotland, picking our way between rocks and rock-pools and then steep climbs up onto to higher ground further inland.
These days, I enjoy long walks around my home - on the outskirts of Malmesbury in Wiltshire - with a favourite being around 16 miles/26km!
Many, maybe most, of the pathways around where I walk are badly overgrown and become extremely waterlogged during the wet weather. I found that, in order to get the exercise I was seeking and to keep my pace up, my best bet was to keep on the tarmac. It's very rural once I'm about 25 minutes from home - some of the lanes are 'C' classified, or unclassified - so it's ideal for seeing stuff and walking reasonably quickly at the same time!
I do tend to bump into other walkers, dog walkers etc. and so the overall speed can quickly fall once I've stopped to chat, but as mentioned earlier; I'm not out to win any speed competitions.
Sometimes I'm lucky and get to see. or hear, something relatively unusual ...