Social walks: information for new members


Updated 29Oct2021 - NOTE about the programme page added

In normal times we try to have a 20-mile walk each Sunday (although the distance may be reduced in December and January to finish in daylight) with 15-mile walks on some Sundays, as well as 15-mile walks on alternate Wednesdays. Many of our walks are in the Chilterns or Berkshire Downs, and are likely to be hilly, typically with an ascent of up to 2,500 feet in 20 miles.

Our 15-mile walks are at a slower speed than the 20-mile walks (which are at a brisk pace), and are intended to allow newcomers or those who haven't walked for a while to get used to our walks.

Up to date information about our walks is available on the "Programme" page on the website; this might include changes/additions to the walks published in Strider.
NOTE that walk entries on the programme page are not formatted very nicely, and may be incomplete (shown by a trailing ellipsis) due to space limitations. If you click on a walk's title you can see the full description.

On most of our walks you should bring food and drink for lunch and snacks. We usually stop every 5 miles for a drink/snack, with a longer break to allow the eating of a packed lunch; we very rarely stop near a shop or pub. (If the leader has planned to eat lunch in a pub this will be clearly stated in the programme.) In the summer it’s important to carry enough liquid; there may not be opportunities to refill drinks containers.

Parking

The Strider and web entries for a walk include the OS 6-digit grid reference and description of the start point. If you want more detailed information you can look on the "Parking" page on our website.

Travel

Many of the places from which we walk are not convenient for public transport, particularly on Sundays. If you contact the walk co-ordinator at tv.walks@ldwa.org.uk with reasonable notice we may be able to put you in touch with a member who can offer you a lift or arrange to pick you up from a local public transport location.

Dogs

Please read the advice from the LDWA (in PDF form) here about dogs on walks. If a walk description does not include a reference to dogs then owners should contact the leader if they wish to bring a dog.

Registers

We need to keep an attendance register for each walk, for insurance purposes. For members this is your name and membership number; non-members are asked for a phone number or email address.