Ambleside & District

Social Walking

Coordinators: Nigel Nixon and Chris Traynier

Group web page editor is Mike Green, walk summary pages by Barbara Crompton and Frances Green.

We have three walking groups so any walker should be able to find a group suitable for them (and if you are a very strong walker you could think about the High Fells group).

• B walks have up to 800m (2,600 feet) of climbing and are up to 16km (10 miles), taken at a good pace. Between April and October we use the longer days to include some more demanding walks.
• C walks have up to 300m (975 feet) of climbing and are usually about 8-12km (5-7.5 miles).
• D walks are around 7km (4 — 4.5 miles) taken at a leisurely pace.

B and C walks meet by 09.20 to be ready for a prompt start at 9:30; D walks meet at 10:15 for a 10:30 start. If possible we like to end the day at a cafe.

We walk regularly on Tuesdays except for the first Tuesday of the month when some members attend Natural History meetings. When there is a Natural History meeting, we walk on Thursday instead. The list of planned walks is at the bottom of the page. If you would like information about the walking programme please contact one of the coordinators.

If you plan to come you should call the walk leader by 7pm the previous evening to enable car-sharing to be arranged where possible. Their contact details can be found in the newsletter.

Any u3a member or guest is welcome to join a walk but all participants do so at their own risk. B and C groups walk on rough tracks on the Lakeland fells and a reasonable level of fitness is required. All walkers are expected to be well equipped with good waterproofs and strong footwear.

For safety advice see the Adventure Smart web site. This site (at the tab "How and when to get help") tells you how to preregister your phone with the emergency services to enable you to send a text for help if the mobile signal is not strong enough for voice communication. Further to the very informative visit to the LAMRT HQ, we think it prudent to put down in writing what is expected of us all.

LEADERS
When leaders are planning walks the following should be borne in mind:

• Leaders should be aware that they need to have ideas of how to shorten the trip and escape routes from higher ground if the weather turns.
• The leader of the B and C groups should carry a bothy bag and it is recommended that at least one member of the group has a mobile phone with a charged battery pack.
• Winter walks should be planned to be completed by 3:30. i.e. 6 hours from 9.30. With the usual walking speed of these groups (including stops) that equates to a maximum of about 12km.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT
The LAMRT strongly suggest that all members of our walking groups should each carry:

• A working head-torch with spare batteries
• At least one extra layer of clothing
• A spare pair of gloves
• First aid kit
• Mobile phone (charged) with battery pack
• Map of the area of the walk and a compass and/or a GPS device
• In the winter period, micro-spikes