England is a walking friendly country. Not everyone has a car and I think that it is part of the culture in Europe. It is a common for families to go on a long walk on the weekend and as stated before most probably walk their dogs multiple times per day. What we would consider walking distance is not the same to the British. There are thousands of public footpaths that you take and see a different side of England off the beaten path. The AA has a number of paths mapped out and is a great resource to see what is available in your local area.