MY TOP TIPS FOR ORGANISING HIKES

 

Organising walks with clients sounds simple – tell them where and when to meet and go for an adventure – but there are a whole host of things that could go wrong. With 8 years of experience of organising walks with clients, I’ve learned a few things along the way.

PLAN: Find a route and directions to a parking spot. Let people know how long the walk is expected to take, how long it will take them to get to the starting point and how challenging it will be. It’s likely that you’ll have people attend with different levels of fitness so pick your route accordingly. I try to choose walks with clearly signposted or well-trodden paths so that even if people get separated from me, they can still follow the path and wait at the next stopping point.

PREPARATION: Explain to people what kind of preparation will be required. I’ve been on many walks where we’ve seen people having to be rescued from mountains so it’s important to treat them with respect. We need to make sure people have the right clothing and equipment e.g., walking boots, sun cream, waterproofs and adequate food and drink.

GETTING THERE: Most country walks we’ve done are in the middle of nowhere where post codes mean nothing, Google Maps is offline and sat navs have a hissy fit and send you to the other side of the mountain. It can be stressful as the organiser when you’ve given everybody expectations of time so anticipate some delays in starting and have directions to hand as well as the post code. Trust me, everybody gets there in the end.

PARKING: We always try to start our walks early to make sure we can get parking. Any later than 9am on a weekend and car parking can get competitive – especially in the middle of nowhere! On the most recent walk we had people parked in puddles which had become ponds and had to shuffle cars around to make space for each other.

BE BOLD, START COLD: One of my favourite phrases on the mountains. The first time I did the National Three Peak Challenge the guide gave us this bit of advice. A lot of people who haven’t experienced mountains before start off with layers and layers but you quickly get warm, even in the elements. Start with less layers and build up as you ascend and it gets cooler.

INTRODUCTIONS: The group often naturally gets divided into smaller pockets of people who already know each other and I try to nip this in the bud. Try to start off with some introductions when you have new people in the group. Before you know it people are chatting away or have become best friends. Or in one case, in a relationship and moving in together!

GETTING OVER THE FIRST HURDLE: When we arrive at our starting point we’ve usually been driving for an hour or two, sometimes more. You get out, start walking, hit the first incline and your legs are on fire! Don’t panic. You soon warm up, get a second wind and your legs get used to it.

PLAN REST BREAKS: I like to check the route again the night before and find some landmarks where we can plan rest stops. This could be a lake, bridge, or shelter. There are usually people of different abilities, people who want to challenge themselves or people who want to enjoy the scenery and not rush it. To avoid getting separated, it’s a good idea to tell people where the next meeting point is and whoever is in front waits there for the rest of the team.

THE WEATHER: Don’t be fooled by the weather forecast and prepare for everything. I took 50 people up Ben Nevis once. It was forecast to be a lovely day, but we started to climb, and the floodgates opened. It’s worth carrying a set of waterproofs in your bag just in case.

BE PREPARED FOR THE DESCENT: Towards the last leg of the walk people are often fatigued, want to get back to the car, there’s pressure on the joints, it can get a bit tense after a long walk. It helps to keep talking at this point and maintain positivity. People can start rushing at this point because they just want to get down but keep encouraging rests and hydration.

HAVE FUN! Take photos and videos to record these memories. These walks are where I really get to know my clients and they get to know each other too. This combined with exercise and fresh air, a hike in nature hits all the happy brain chemicals!


                                                Image: David Dang, Instagram: @iamdaviddang


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