Advice for LEADING A WALK
Thank you for considering leading a walk for us. We hope you find the following information is useful.
Tips:
Have a chat with experienced walkers/leaders during a walk who will advise you on leading a walk and finding routes.
For the first walk you lead, choose a walk you have previously done.
Recce your walk before the day in order to familiarise yourself with the route and identify any potential hazards. It is useful to recce the walk with another walker who is likely to be on the walk on the day. Other walk leaders will be happy to help with recceing.
On the day don't worry if you get slightly lost, we all do. Retrace your steps to find the route again. Other walkers/leaders will be happy to help out if you have any concerns during the walk.
Enjoy the walk and the company of your fellow walkers!
Preparing to lead a walk
Please contact the Walks Coordinator to let them know you are thinking of leading a walk.
For everyone’s safety and enjoyment of the walks we advise new walk leaders to complete the online Ramblers Walk Leadership Foundation training. The Walks Coordinator will arrange for you to have access to the training.
A walk each Thursday is our priority but additional walks on other days are welcome. We are also trialling monthly Saturday walks of around 7-8 miles, of low-moderate difficulty, to assess demand for weekend walks.
Thursday and other weekday walks are normally between 7-10 miles, within about an hour’s drive of Trafford, and of leisurely or moderate level. A description of these levels can be found on the Ramblers website.
Walks start at 10.30 though you can request a 10.00 start on the shortest winter days. We have a coffee break about an hour after the start, and lunch after 2.5 hours.
Submitting a walk proposal
Once a quarter the Walks Coordinator sends all walk leaders an email with a Walks Proposal Template inviting walk proposals for the next quarter. From these proposals a draft programme will be drawn up and circulated to all walk leaders for checking. The finalised programme will be put on the website.
You are also welcome to submit additional walks at other times for the programme.
Leading a walk:
We recommend that every walk leader carries a fully charged mobile phone, a simple first aid kit, and a paper or digital map.
Walkers will book onto your walk via the Ramblers or Ramblers Trafford websites. Reply to them to confirm. You may also provide your mobile phone number so that they can let you know if they are delayed or unable to come on the walk.
At the start of a walk, check who is present against your booking list, get everyone together, introduce anyone new to the group and give a brief summary of where you will be taking the group and any hazards that are likely to be encountered. Unless the group is small, it is useful to appoint a backmarker.
Set a reasonable pace and check for slower walkers.
If you are concerned about the weather conditions and the safety of the walkers, do not hesitate to cancel or curtail a walk. If cancelling in advance, please notify the walkers who have booked, and let the Walks Coordinator know so that they can amend the website and put a message on WhatsApp.
Further information:
Walks Coordinator: Rosie, 07855 725145
Gridreferencefinder can be used to pinpoint the start of your walk and it will tell you the postcode, grid reference and What3Words.
Plotaroute, OS Maps and Outdoor Active allow you to map your walk and it will tell you the distance and amount of ascent.
For Ramblers safety advice click HERE
Walking in Remote Areas
In case of emergency in remote areas, sometimes a text to 999 can get through when voice calls can't. It's quick and easy to register for the emergency 999 SMS service:
text 'register' to 999
wait for reply, read in full
reply YES
you will get a final reply saying your number is now registered. No need to reply further.
In the rare event that there has been an accident on route, contact the Walks Coordinator for an accident report form.
Ramblers Trafford Group
February 2024