About Walks

Walking for Health video:

Joining a walk: To join a walk you just need to turn up ten to fifteen minutes before the start to register. It's free. Look for a small crowd of people gathering round the Walk Leader, who'll be wearing a yellow fluorescent tabard. If this is your first walk you'll be asked to fill in a short questionnaire asking for contact and medical information. The Walking the way to Health Initiative (WHI) people need to know your state of health for statistical purposes; it also helps them with obtaining funding. If your state of health changes at a later date (recovery from an injury perhaps), we'll ask that you fill in another questionnaire at that time. All information is kept in strict confidence. Also, for each walk, we ask that you put your name on the walk register and tick yourself off at the end. This is all very easy and quick; the Walk Leader will explain it.

To save time before your first walk, you can download and print the questionnaire here (PDF file). If you can, fill it in and bring it with you, otherwise the Walk Leader should have a supply of forms.

Before setting off the Walk Leader will say a few words to check that everyone is registered, give an outline of the route and warn of any particular hazards and so on.

On the walk the Walk Leader, who knows the route, walks at the front and the walkers follow. The back marker, or back leader, who also wears a fluorescent tabard, brings up the rear: his or her job is to be behind everybody else and help with any problems at the back. Depending on the number of walkers, there might also be one or more middle markers helping out. Walkers generally walk in ones, twos or threes, chatting as they go. If you need to leave the walk for any reason, please tell one of the leaders so that we don't think you're missing when we check the register!

Pace: Most walks are designed to be 'brisk', covering about 2.5 or 3 miles in one hour. The idea is that you should walk at a pace that stretches you slightly, getting the heart and circulation working. This is the way to improve your health. You should be slightly out of breath but able to talk. Inevitably some walkers will walk faster or slower than others. This is expected and not a problem; if a large gap opens up in the group, the Walk Leader will stop and wait for others to catch up, typically at a road crossing or a change of direction. A Walk Leader might also wait a few minutes for a rest at the top of a hill, or perhaps half-way along the walk just for a short breather and a drink of water. Some walks are designed to suit walkers of different abilities; check the walk schedules for this - a walk might be described as 'fast pace' or for beginners just starting out on their fitness-improvement journey.

Enjoy it!