The Ramblers Association
Milton Keynes & District Group
Walk Leaders' Page
This section gives some hints and tips for walk leaders and will be of particular use to new or aspiring leaders. Without leaders there would be no walks and we are all very grateful to those who put in a lot of hard work planning, recceing and leading walks for the group. We are always looking for new people to come forward as leaders, so if you fancy having a go, talk to some of our more experienced leaders, any of whom would be happy to advise you. It's understandable that you may feel a bit nervous about leading your first walk, but if you'd like support some of our existing leaders may offer to co-lead a walk with you which will help to build up your confidence.How to Become a Walk Leader
To become a walk leader, you will need to be added to the Ramblers' systems as a volunteer. You must first create an account on the National Ramblers' Website (you may have already created an account when you joined). Once you have an account, contact Jan our Secretary, and she will register you as a volunteer walk leader for the Milton Keynes and District Group. You will need to provide your name, postcode, email address and Ramblers' membership number. It may take seven days for the national office to complete your registration. You will receive an email confirming you are set up as a volunteer and informing you how to access the online training.
The training is compulsory for new walk leaders but it's not difficult. You need to read the Walk Leader Handbook (half an hour at most), and complete both the Walk Leadership Foundation module online (60-90 minutes) and the Preventing and Managing Incidents module online (60 minutes). Both courses are very informal and involve listening to the advice and experience of other walk leaders. Ask any of the committee members if you need help. When you have completed your training and informed national office, you will be able to access Walks Manager, our system for publishing walks.
Ramblers Association Guidance and Resources
The Ramblers Association provides lots of guidance and resources to get you started and build confidence to lead your first walk. Resources include the Walk Leader Handbook, a Walk Leader Checklist and information on how to assess risks and manage safety. Walk Leadership guidance.
Planning Your Walk
You
may already know a walk you would like to lead, but if not you can
get ideas from walk leaflets, books of walks, magazines such as
Country Walking, websites or by looking at a map and working out
your route from scratch. Whichever you decide to do, some
considerations to bear in mind are:
- Location of the walk - distance from Milton Keynes - is it feasible for everyone to get to the start of the walk independently or would it be better to meet locally and share transport.
- Length of walk and how long it will take to walk it. This may depend on the time of year and hours of daylight available. You also need to bear in mind, that everything will take longer with a group of people as stiles and other obstacles will slow people down. As a general guideline, allow 2 - 2˝ miles per hour including breaks.
- Meeting time - again dependent on how long you estimate it will take to complete the walk. Remember to allow time for getting to the start point.
- Circular or linear - if it's a linear walk you will need to work out the logistics of transport. If you are planning to use public transport check train/bus times in advance. If using cars, you will need to make sure there are enough cars to transport everyone from one end of the route to the other. As a general guideline, count the number of people and divide by 2. So, if there are 12 participants, you will need 6 cars - all cars drive to the end of the walk, 3 are parked there while the other 3 return to the start with all the people. When you have finished the walk, the cars at the end will then transport people back to the start to pick up the cars parked there.
- Terrain - whether it's a walk around the redways of Milton Keynes or a longer hike in the Chilterns, choose an area that you will feel confident in being able to navigate, whatever the weather. Bear in mind the amount of ascent and descent, whether paths are well maintained, number and type of stiles, river crossings and other obstacles.
Recceing Your Walk
If at all possible, it is advisable to recce the whole of your walk in advance. Investigate suitable places at the start (and at the end if linear) for car parking. Check that your route keeps to public rights of way, unless in open access ground, and make a note of any difficult areas for navigation. You may also wish to choose spots for coffee / tea and lunch breaks and check facilities such as toilets, pubs or cafes. It's a good idea to ask someone to accompany you on the recce as two heads are better than one and your companion may agree to be backmarker on the day. If you notice any obstructions or problems with footpaths, make a note of the location and report the problem to the Rights of Way Officer on the local council. You may also wish to plan a shorter "escape route" in case anyone has problems, though this is not always practicable.Equipment
Modern technology (Smartphones) enable us to record our routes easily and work out our mileage (eg. using the OS Maps App). If you know your route really well you may not need a map but with more challenging walks it's advisable to take a map and compass, even when using written instructions from a book. If you have a GPS, you may prefer to use this. It is recommended to have a first aid kit in case of emergencies. It may seem obvious, but make sure that you have the right gear for the terrain and weather conditions. A stick or secateurs can be useful for clearing overgrowth from paths, particularly on your recce.On the Day
Arrive
early at the meeting place and welcome everybody. Check that all
walkers have suitable equipment - you are entitled to turn someone
away if you feel they are inadequately prepared for the expected
conditions and may be putting themselves or others at risk.
Introduce yourself and give a brief resume of the walk, mentioning
any points of particular interest and arrangements for lunch and
refreshment stops. Give an approximate return time. Make a head
count and appoint a backmarker if you feel it's necessary, bearing
in mind the number of participants and type of terrain.
During the walk keep at the front so you can steer people in the right direction, and make sure you can see the backmarker. Set a reasonable pace, but keep an eye on the group to make sure people don't get too spread out and check that no one is struggling. You may need to slow the pace if people are having difficulty in keeping up. At rest breaks let people know if there are toilets or other facilities nearby which they may wish to use and give a 2 minute warning that you are about to continue the walk so people have time to repack their bags, etc.
Insurance
RA members are covered by civil liability insurance, which protects leaders against claims for damage to property and injuries which may occur on the walk. For more details, see the Ramblers Association - Walk Leader Insurance Fact Sheet.If you are unfortunate enough to have any incidents / accidents on your walks which might involve a claim on our insurance, please make a note at the time of all relevant details, eg personal details of those involved; when, where and what the incident was, and statements from witnesses if appropriate. Then report it to the secretary as soon as possible who will pass it on to the insurers as necessary.
Submitting Your Walk Details
We use the Ramblers' Association platform called Walks Manager on which to submit our walk details. This enables anyone, anywhere, to view the walk. We often have ramblers from other groups join us for walks. The information provided on Walks Manager then automatically populates the MK and District Walks Programme available on this website.
Entering a Walk on Walks Manager
Please note that once you are registered as a volunteer walk leader it may take a few days before you can access Walks Manager to enter walks. To access Walks Manager log into the National Ramblers' website, click on 'Table View' at the top of the page to see all the Milton Keynes and District Group walks and click on 'Create' to add a walk. If you don't feel confident to add a walk yourself then one of the committee members will help you. The key information required is date, a brief walk description, start time, estimated end time, meeting point, length of walk and whether or not a packed lunch is recommended. To make sure that your contact details appear on the walks programme click on the grey head and shoulders icon in the top right corner of Walks Manager, select contact preferences and tick the appropriate boxes to give permission for your display name (required), email (optional) and phone number (optional) to be used. Once you have entered all the walk details, click on 'submit for checking'. Our Programme Secretary will check your submission before publishing. It would be helpful if you send a text to our Programme Secretary to say you have submitted a walk as they are not currently notified automatically. Further details and guidance on using Walks Manager is provided on the National Ramblers' Website.
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