Oxon Weekend Walkers

The Oxfordshire walking group for people in the midst of their working lives

Leading a walk

This page provides basic advice about leading a walk - how to do it and things to remember. Do ask committee members or other walk leaders for help with any aspect, beforehand or on the day.

Planning and recceing

  • Decide where you want to walk - it could be somewhere local to you, or a walk from a book, for example. Some useful resources are provided on the Resources page. You don't need to be able read a map if you can follow a walk from a description or you know a suitable route already.
  • Work out a circular route if possible. Linear walks are also enjoyable if public transport is available to get between the start and finish points (you will need to plan this).
  • Our "usual" distance is 5-10 miles, although we have some longer walks than this. Shorter walks are good for sumnmer evenings. 
  • It is important to recce the walk, to make sure you know the route, identify any issues (such as blocked paths) and can work out where to park and eat (more on this below). Please be sure to use public rights of way, and try to avoid too much road walking. Do ask around if you want a recce buddy!
  • Consult the risk assessment, RA, which you will find in the Resources section under the Walk Leaders Area page on our website. It is important that you consider all the possible risks when you are planning and doing a recce of the walk. Let the Walks Manager know if there are any risks that are not currently included on the RA. 

Things to think about when planning and recceing:

  • Start time: We usually start between 10 and 11 am.  For winter walks, bear in mind when the light starts to fade. As a rough guide, 2 miles per hour works for group walks, including breaks, but you may need to allow more if there are lots of stiles, for example.
  • Parking: use designated public car parks where possible; if parking is on the street, make sure there is plenty without inconveniencing locals; bear in mind any local church services etc. that may use the same parking. See Resources for car parking information.
  • Lunch and tea breaks: When recceing, consider where to stop for tea breaks and lunch. Ideally, people like to sit down. Lovely views are of course welcome but also think about shelter if the weather is inclement.
  • Pub/tea shop stops en route: check that your proposed venue can accommodate a potentially large group of people with muddy boots.
  • Apres-walk: a visit to a pub or tea shop (or even the choice) is popular, and is more flexible than a stop en route. 
  • Toilet facilities: most people are prepared to "hedge hop" but its a good idea to note any public conveniences.
  • Alternative routes: if the route is particularly exposed or is prone to getting water logged, it may be worth considering an alternative route (although people do expect mud in the winter!)
  • Dogs: it is your choice whether to allow dogs on walks; it may not be a good idea if the route passes through fields of livestock.

Adding your walk to the calendar

  • Use the box to the right to submit your walk. 
  • Aim to include as much of the information as possible but you can add detail later.
  • The form is provided by Ramblers, and has two parts; please provide as much detail as possible in the optional part. It looks intimidating at first, but most of it is optional.
  • You will need a grid reference for the start point (easy guide here) but bear in mind that people may not understand grid refs!  Please also provide a postcode for sat nav users (refer to Google maps, for example; car parks usually  have post codes) and a description of where the parking is if the postcode covers a large area.
  • If you have difficulty with the walk submission, please contact Walks secretary, Chair, or Webmaster, who will be happy to help you. 

On the day of the walk

  • Consider whether you need to modify the walk route depending on the weather and ground conditions.
  • What to take: phone, map (copies of route if you can - these can be printed using our OS maps subscription), spare food/water, small first-aid kit; hi-vis vest and/or rucksack cover if walking on roads (the commitee can provide hi-vis vests).
  • Get to meeting point about 30 mins before the start time if possible.

At the start of the walk

  • Introduce yourself as the walk leader and give a short description of the walk, such as terrain, sites of interest, and planned stops. Hand out copies of the route if you have some.
  • It may be worth taking a vote to judge interest in stopping at a pub or tea shop en route (or do this later in the walk).
  • Check whether there are any new walkers  and introduce them to other members of the group.
  • Check that everyone has suitable clothing (inlcuding sun hats and water if its hot). If someone is not suitably attired (e.g. wearing denim jeans on a wet day), you can ask them not to join the walk.
  • Ask for someone for back marker. You and the back marker should count how many walkers you have and agree the number.

  • An important point re photos and the new GDPR. Please ask at the start of a walk for people’s consent to be included in photos that may end up on our FaceBook page or website. Verbal consent in front of a group is considered adequate. Ideally, anyone who objects will make themselves known to the whole group. If for any reason they don’t want to do that, you can ask that no-one takes pictures that include people, or you might tactfully point out to the objector that it is difficult to guarantee, and that they should consider whether to continue on the walk (but we cannot prevent them joining the walk). Hopefully this situation won’t arise, but it is a legal requirement to have that verbal consent.

  • Check if there are any other announcements before you head off.

During the walk

  • Lead from the front!
  • Aim to walk at a moderate pace; wait if the group has become strung out. Keep an eye out for anyone struggling to keep up.
  • Stop periodically for rest/water and to allow regrouping; tell people whether its a water break or a longer tea break.
  • Ensure gates are left as you found them.
  • Make sure any dogs are under control at all times, and especially if there is livestock.
  • Check the headcount with the back marker.
  • Keep a watch at stiles and obstructions
  • If you are going to be walking on a road, regroup first,and remind people to keep to the side, facing the traffic, in single file. If it is a busy road, consider wearing a hi-viz vest for that section and ask the back marker to do the same (and especially if you have a large group). 
  • Ask for help or a second opinion if you are not sure of the route, or if something unforeseen occurs (e.g. blocked paths, accidents/illness); keep everyone informed. Even experienced walk leaders need help from time to time, so no need to feel embarassed.

At the end

  • Thank everyone for coming, and your back marker(s).
  • Tell people about options for post-walk refreshments.
  • Check with any new walkers that they enjoyed the walk and encourage them to come again.
Share this page