Preparing for a Walk
Introduction - it's a walk for 30 mins to a couple of hours
Walking is really simple and can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. Remember this is a family-oriented group who want you to enjoy regular walking and to make this part of your routine so that it becomes a habit and not just a one off event. We want you to come along and enjoy the walk, in good company, make new friends or reaquaint with old friends or just meet up for a walk rather than in a restaurant, watching a movie or some other sedentary lifestyle. Life is busy and we can easily spend hours in front of a computer or playing on our smartphones when we could take an hour or two out and spend some time in the open air with each other.
What about bad weather? Bad weather is good for you: take a walk in the wind and rain
Before you get started
Preparing to walk: Learn what you need to do before you begin. This may include getting medical advice, investing in basic walking gear like shoes and clothing, and more.
Make sure you have registered your contact details. Tell us also about who you are, what your interests and hobbies are and what kinds of walks you like. help others by sharing what you know so that others know about you too. Of course you can walk on your own but how much better if we do this together and learn and share more about each other
Walking Schedule: Determine how often to walk, how fast, different types of walking, how far and also who else you may wish to invite to join you too. Our walks are usually at a slow pace and we can try to cater for different types of people but please rememebr this is a family event where we also want to enjoy each others' company as well
Staying Motivated: Explore techniques for keeping yourself walking and avoiding common mistakes. We hope to share more ideas with you when you join us on the walk and learn from others too
What to bring for a walk
by Taiba Sheikh
Places to buy equipment from
Whilst we do not endorse any particular product or company, here are some places that our members have recommended that you can visit
Other things to bring along
Food - think about whether you want to bring some fruit or nuts with you and a flask of tea or coffee or whether you may want to just get something from the cafe / restaurant there. Let's try to be healthy and not bring chocolates, crisps or sweets if possible. We want to encourage a more healthy lifestyle
Mobile phone - Great way to take photos, keep fond memories, share with others in the group and with us and of course you can stay in touch too. But please be careful that you do not lose it or drop it on your walk and check people are happy for their photos to be taken before hand. If you do not want your photo taken or that of your loved ones then just tell everybody at the start. We will not be offended. Let's be social and respect each other too!
Smartwatch - Fitbit, iWatch or other device that monitors how many steps you have done. It's a great way to monitor how many steps you have taken each day and help to keep your motivation going.
Bag / Rucksack- Bring this along so that you can always take things off and put them in there if need be
Midge Bites - How to Recognise Midges and Treat Bites
Midge bites can be a real problem when walking in warm weather. Whilst they are not dangerous and do not transmit serious disease, they are a nuisance causing an intense itch, keeping you awake at night, make you feel miserable and look unsightly on bare skin! Learn more about them here and more importantly what you can do to help prevent being bitten or what to do when they do appear!
Midge Bites - How to Recognise Midges and Treat Bites
How To Treat and Avoid Midge Bites This Year
Click on the infographic below to view it more easily and an accompanying article
Deciding for a walk
Please do this
To get the best from the walks, please do these simple steps
Register your contact details if you have not yet done so
Make sure your contact details are up to date. If you are not sure then send a message via contact us, email us or send a whatsapp message
Consider joining the National Trust. See below for more details and why it may work out cheaper fo ryou.
Look at the upcoming events and register your interest in the walks you want to do. Ideally please confirm you cannot attend one too so that we know you are aware of the walk too even if you are unable to attend.
We hope to share who else is coming on the walks. If they have allowed their interests to be shared then you can find out more about them and it will make the walk even more interesting. Please look up who else is coming before the walk too.
Invite your friends and family to come along too. It's more fun when we all go together. Offer to take them with you and to bring them back
Following the walk, please complete a feedback form so that we can find out what you thought about it too. It helps us to plan future walks too and share your experience with others as well.