This document summarises the principle elements in planning and leading asuccessful and enjoyable walk for both the standard Saturday and Sunday walks in the Portsmouth Group. They are based on the “Leading Group Walks” document produced by the Ramblers Association and amended to fit the needs of our local group.
1. Planning
a) Devise a route suited to the abilities of the group you wish to lead. The most important aspects to consider are the difficulty of the terrain - i.e. the number of hills, steepness of ascents/descents etc. - and the distance.
b) Make sure you are aware of the available daylight hours for the date of your walk - particularly in winter months. Ideally you should be able to reach the finish point at least 30 minutes before sunset. This allows for overcast weather and any unplanned delays on route. Clearly walks ending in street lit towns have an extra leeway.
c) If possible devise a shortened return route in case of adverse weather or unexpected occurrences – such as injuries. If the route crosses a road which has a bus service please check the bus times to see if it is possible for a walker to leave the walk at that point. Some common reasons for leaving are the onset of blisters, general tiredness and pulled muscles.
d) All walks should allow sufficient time for coffee and comfort stops as well as a reasonable lunch break – especially where people eat their lunch and then go to a pub in order to use the facilities and have a hot/cold drink. Ideally the coffee stop should be no less than 15 minutes and the lunch stop at least 40 minutes. [The Ramblers Association has the following recommendation - ” In reasonable weather, lunch should not be rushed: for many, eating out of doors is one of the most enjoyable aspects of open-air recreation. About 45 minutes for lunch is recommended”] Depending on the length of the afternoon walk a further 10 minute tea stop might be needed. Clearly adverse weather conditions or unplanned detours may demand a change to these times.
e) When estimating the time needed for a walk assume a walking speed of 2.75 miles an hour for faster walks and 2 miles an hour for slower walks – also take into account the terrain and number of stiles which could dramatically decrease the above speeds.
Example: a B grade 12 mile walk at 2.75 miles an hour takes 4 hours 20 minutes approx. of actual walking. By adding 15 minutes for a coffee stop, 40 minutes for lunch and 10 minutes for comfort and catch-up stops it makes a total walk length of 5 hours 25 minutes. So a walk starting at 10am would finish at 3:25pm a half an hour before sunset in December and January.
f) For timing to be reasonably accurate it is essential that the walk mileage is measured as accurately as possible. In addition a walk advertised as 10 miles but which turns out to be 13 miles may be beyond the capabilities of some walkers causing distress and possible injury.
2. Grading
These are only guidelines for grading – there can be no hard and fast rule:
a) Walks over 15 miles in hilly terrain will generally be A
b) Walks between 11 and 15 in mixed terrain will generally be B but even flat walks of 11-15 miles will still be a B simply because of the distance and the effort required to complete them.
c) Walks of 10 miles and below will generally be C but if there are a number of steep hills or difficult terrain any walk of 7 to 10 miles should be graded B.
d) Walks in any of the above categories can have a plus sign added to indicate an extra difficulty in the walk. For instance a 5 mile flat walk with one steep hill could be graded C+ and a note made of this in the walk description.
3. Start point
a) When choosing a start point for a walk make sure it has adequate parking spaces for the numbers normally expected. Try to avoid small villages with no dedicated car parks as this will annoy residents.
b) The Ramblers Association takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and recommends that where a walk starts near to a public transport access point this fact should be advertised in the walk details. Many regularly-used starting places have public transport access – Denmead, Hambledon, Rowlands Castle, Horndean etc. so many walks already comply with this ideal. However, please take account of the bus/train times and try to avoid starting a walk 5 minutes before the train/bus arrives - especially when such services are hourly. Also remember that ramblers from other groups use the national Walk Finder site to find walks of interest so that although a walk starting at the South Downs Way car park near Cocking might seem inaccessible by public transport from Portsmouth it is served by a regular half hourly bus service from Bognor, Chichester and Midhurst. The Programme Co-ordinator will advise leaders of any applicable public transport options.
4. Recces
a) All walks should ideally be recced in the two weeks prior to the walk date. This is important for a number of reasons: part of the route may have a temporary closure order, part of the route may be flooded, part of the route may be overgrown with brambles, a bridge over a stream may have collapsed and the lunch time pub may have closed. Unplanned detours can add miles to a walk and in winter there may not be sufficient time to return to the start point before dark. Hopefully a recce near the date of the walk will allow time to sort out any problems beforehand.
5. Leading the walk
a) Leaders should count the number of people joining the walk before setting off so as to be able to check that all are present after coffee and lunch breaks. With groups of more than 20 people this task is almost impossible as people often move around as you try and count them. One solution is to get groups of friends to check if anyone is missing from their particular group.
b) Leaders should check that walkers are suitably dressed and equipped for the proposed walk, principally footwear, waterproof/warm clothing, sun hats and water. It has been known for inexperienced walkers to turn up in town shoes not realising that the paths might be muddy and slippery and occasionally without any waterproof clothing on potentially wet days. This will have to be a subjective assessment, but in extreme circumstances you would be justified in turning away someone if you thought that a lack of proper footwear or equipment could put them or others at risk.
c) Back markers are essential in large groups as a slow walker may easily get left behind. It is essential to tell all walkers that if they need to leave the route for a comfort stop (or for any other reason) they must tell someone. A back marker will not necessarily know that someone 100 yards ahead has left the trail. The most common cause for losing walkers is simply that the person did not tell anyone.
d) Before setting off the leader should give a brief description of the walk i.e. details of the coffee stop, lunch stop etc. the type of terrain to be covered and point out any things of interest that may be seen on the walk. The leader should also remind walkers to be aware of those behind them. This is especially important in foggy conditions, and when a path splits - if a gap has opened up between walkers the group following might well go the wrong way and so waste valuable time. When the terrain allows, the leader should regularly check that the back-marker can be seen and call a stop if the group is getting too stretched out. If sheep and cattle are likely to be encountered, dog-owners should be advised at this stage, and should be prepared to put their animals on a lead when asked to do so.
e) The leader should normally be at the front and not just for the obvious reason of being the only person who knows the chosen route of the walk. The leader also sets the pace for the walk suited to the group he/she is leading. A fast walker who goes ahead of the leader can unwittingly alter this pace and cause distress to those behind. Obviously there are occasions when a leader can allow walkers to go ahead with instructions to wait at a certain clearly marked way-point.
f) When stopping to allow people to catch up (especially after a hill climb) allow sufficient time for the last arrivals to recover. There is nothing worse than setting off immediately the last person arrives.
g) The leader should take great care on stretches of busy roads. Normally the group should walk in single file facing oncoming traffic. However on blind bends it is usually safer to cross to the other side of the road in order to allow the group to be visible to drivers. When crossing main roads the leader can task one of the group to call walkers across when the road is free of traffic particularly on bends when approaching traffic is not easily visible. If the walk crosses pedestrian railway crossings the leader should make sure that walkers cross one at a time and not as a group. The next person should not cross until the person in front of them has cleared the crossing area, meaning clear of any stiles or gates. This avoids people backing up across the railway and potentially being trapped as a train approaches. Also, advise dog-owners they will need to put their animals on a lead when crossing the railway.
h) The leader should take the following equipment on a walk: an ordnance survey map covering the walk area, a compass (needed in case of an unplanned detour or an injury that requires finding the nearest vehicular access point), a torch for reading a map at dusk or after dark if the walk is delayed and a small first aid box. A GPS is helpful but is subject to battery failure if the leader has forgotten to sufficiently charge the battery beforehand.
6. Accidents
a) If a walker has an accident during a walk – usually resulting from a fall – this must be reported to the Secretary and the appropriate form filled in. If in any doubt contact the Secretary as soon as possible after the walk. (Contact the secretary on secretary@portsmouthramblers.org.uk and you will be emailed a report form if you have not already downloaded one from the Rambler’ website). Make sure you have the name of the injured party and of any witnesses to the incident. The leader should advise walkers to carry next of kin contact details with them as well as details of any allergies and current medication.
7. Insurance
a) All walks organised by Ramblers Areas and Groups automatically receive civil liability insurance cover through the Association’s national policy. The only requirement is that the designated Leader(s) is a Ramblers member. This is designed to protect leaders against claims for damage to property and for injury or death which might have happened on the walk. Please note that the policy does not provide personal accident cover.