Tips for walk planning

Items you will need to lead a walk

Walk Leader Training

If you are a new leader, before leading a walk for the first time you must log into Ramblers’ online training to read and sign up to the Walk Leader Handbook, and complete two e-learning modules: Walk Leadership Foundations and Preventing and Managing Incidents. The two modules should take approx. 60-90 minutes each and you can complete these in your own time - you don’t have to complete each course in one go.

If you are an experienced leader, you should read the Walk Leader Handbook and it is recommended that you complete the e-learning training to refresh your knowledge. From 31 December 2025, all walk leaders must have either completed the online training modules or have self-assessed alternative experience: either a walk leadership qualification from the Mountain Training Association (the Lowland 
Leader, Hill & Moorland Leader or Mountain Leader Awards) or an active record of walk leadership (having led 12 walks for a Ramblers or Wellbeing Walks group in the last 3 years).

To access the training you need to register as a volunteer walk leader with Ramblers. Please register by emailing your full name to our group walks coordinators at stagwalkplan@gmail.com. Please allow 7-10 days for your details to be recorded and up to 48 hours before you can access online training with your ‘My Ramblers’ account.

Once registered, access the training through the Ramblers Walk Leadership webpage.

Where to walk?

The countryside across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire is diverse – ranging from steep hills and viewpoints to farmland, meadows and woodland. This means there is always an interesting landscape to explore not far from your doorstep.

Most people will be looking forward to a walk in the countryside, but do not rule out an urban walk if there are interesting sights. Seasonal walks often work well such as a spring bluebell walk or an autumn leaves woodland walk. Consider the time of year and likely weather conditions to help identify appropriate areas to walk in.

Deciding a route

Finding a route as a first time leader can seem like a daunting task – however, there are lots of resources available to make this easy. Check out our route planning resources page for some ideas.

The easiest way to find a route is to think about any areas where you already like walking. On your first walk you might want to walk somewhere close to home that you know well.

You could also follow a route description from a book, leaflet or website. You should walk the route yourself before leading it for the group; maps or directions can be a little tricky to follow sometimes and we always recommend a "recce" (practice walk) to check the route is suitable and safe.

Books and leaflets of local routes may be found in local bookshops and second-hand shops (but be aware that route descriptions in older books may have changed e.g. new housing developments or pub closures!).

Routes may also be available on your local council website and in your local library. These will have pre-planned routes and often come with a simple diagrammatic map of the route and a set of written instructions.

Routes can be found using apps or websites such as OS Maps, Outdooractive and Plotaroute.com – you can view routes devised by other users and follow or modify these.

You can also use routes from the Ramblers website or Ramblers App. If you log in to the website / App you will see a larger number of routes.

If you’re able to read an Ordnance Survey map (all you need to do is be able to follow the paths; rights of way are indicated in green) you can think of somewhere you'd like to visit and look at rights of way to plan a route in that area. Pick a start point (and an end point, if it’s not a circular walk) and find suitable paths to make up your route. Remember to pay attention to contour lines to know whether you’re going to be climbing up or down steep hills!

Route considerations

There are numerous fast rural and main roads in this area so it is virtually impossible to avoid crossing or walking along them for some part of a walk. However, avoid having to walk along very busy stretches if possible; there is often an alternative route that will avoid most dangerous sections.

Interesting ‘smells’ are par for the course when you’re walking near farmland, but if possible, avoid walking close to abattoirs, sewage works, waste sites and other areas with potential pongs!

Most walks will be circular – starting and ending at the same point. Whether you choose to start at a public car park or a landmark, it’s good to choose somewhere easy to find on a map so that members can find you easily.

Linear walks lend a different dynamic to a walk and are good when you can use public transport to get you back to the start. This works well for national trails, river walks etc. Consider starting somewhere near a bus stop or railway station.

When to walk?

Stag Walkers runs walks all year round so there is never a right or wrong time to plan a walk. Keep in mind the season and likely weather conditions for your walk to avoid potential hazards.

Most walks take place on a Saturday or Sunday. But during the summer a short weekday evening walk is also a nice addition and are quite popular, especially if there's a pub at the end!

In the winter it can get dark as early as 3.30pm so plan the length of your walk to ensure you reach the end during daylight. For example, you may not have time for a 10-mile walk in the winter, unless you start earlier than normal.

An average speed of 2 miles an hour is a good guide to work out how far you can go, including stops for lunch etc.

Consider avoiding scheduling a walk on days such as Mothers' or Fathers' Day as you may get low attendance.

Night walks

Night walks are an interesting way to explore the countryside, giving you the chance to hear nocturnal birds and animals that are otherwise hidden away during a daytime walk.

When planning a night walk you should aim for a date that has as close to a full moon as possible, to provide good visibility without using torches. Consider what time it gets dark in the summer. It may still be bright at 9pm.

Ideally your route will have lots of open ground so as to see the sky, and be reasonably easy under foot. Keep the distance short (under 5 miles) and consider what time it will be when you finish. You can check online for sunset times and moonrise.

Refreshments

Unless a walk is especially short, we will always stop during a walk to eat packed lunch or snacks. This could be roughly at the halfway point, depending where is appropriate to stop; suitable places might be a village green, recreation ground or common land.

Many of our walks have an additional stop at a pub or tea room en route and/or at the end of the walk. This is particularly welcome for using the toilets (but do make sure some drinks or snacks are bought by the group if using the facilities).

You shouldn’t eat your own food at a pub or in its garden, unless you know the pub doesn’t serve food and you’ve asked permission.

If you plan to visit a smaller pub or tea room or you might have an especially large group, it’s polite to give advance notice of the visit.

If you wish to make your walk dog-friendly, you should check that any pubs or other places you plan to visit on your walk will welcome dogs.

Checking your route (recce)

Before leading the group on your walk, you'll need to carry out a pre-walk (“recce”) to check the route.

If you don't wish to recce on your own, you could ask a friend to join you or some other members of the group – perhaps by asking on our Facebook group or our walk leaders' WhatsApp group.

Check areas such as junctions with roads, railway and river crossings, wooded areas where paths may not be clearly marked and any sections that you think might be confusing.

Think about the best place for a group to cross roads, or to cross a field which may include livestock.

Remember that although we benefit from excellent public rights of way in this area – signposts can get broken or temporarily removed so you mustn’t rely solely on waymarkings to find your way around.

You may find paths that are closed or blocked (permanently or temporarily). You can check the status of temporary path closures or report problems here:

If you think there is a problem with a path e.g. overgrown / blocked by a fallen tree you could notify the rights of way team at the relevant local council.

While checking your route out you might want to identify suitable places where you could offer rest breaks, or somewhere to eat lunch e.g. a meadow or park. On longer walks a stop with a toilet half way round is often appreciated!

It’s helpful if you can take a few photos on your recce and email these to stagwalkplan@gmail.com so an appropriate picture can be used to advertise your walk.

Don't recce too far in advance of your group walk, in case conditions change (e.g. temporary footpath closures or withdrawal of permissive paths) and in case you forget the route!

Adding your walk to the calendar

Once you’ve decided on your route, you can put this into the Stag Walkers calendar - this is a spreadsheet linked to from our email newsletter (contact us if you need the link to be sent to you).

It’s not essential to have recced your walk before pencilling in a few rough details – just make sure you have time for a recce before the planned date of the group walk.

Please check the other walks in the calendar, including those on the spreadsheet awaiting publication, to ensure your intended route isn’t too similar to others planned or walked recently.

We prefer not to visit the same places within the same month and especially to avoid re-walking the same paths within the same six weeks or so; people can be put off attending if the walk sounds too similar.

If there is a clash of walks you could move your own walk to later in the year, or if just a slight overlap you could change your route slightly e.g. by walking in the opposite direction. Contact the walks planning team if unsure.

Walk title

Please add your walk title in the format: “Walk Name (miles / km - Grade, Booking Required)” - including the walk name, distance, walk grade and whether booking is mandatory.

It’s helpful if the walk name can include the location(s) you’re starting from or heading to, and perhaps the theme if there is one, e.g. “Hitchin to Preston Bluebell Walk” or “Welwyn Woodland Walk.”

Within the walk name, it's helpful to include the distance in both miles and kilometres (you may wish to use an online unit converter to help with this).

For most Stag Walkers events we ask people to book using our Meetup group. On some occasions we don’t make booking essential, for example if we are hosting a walk for a local festival, but we encourage booking because it’s useful for leaders to have an idea of the number of attendees to expect.

Distance

Measure the distance of your route - this can be done at home or on the recce:

The mileage can be rounded up or down to the nearest mile or half-mile / kilometre.

Walk grade (difficulty)

Walks grading can be a little subjective but a good indication of these is below:

Easy: Short walks (6 miles or less) on good quality paths with no difficult terrain. These walks should be suitable for anybody in their 20s or 30s who doesn't have a mobility disability and are particularly suitable for people who have done little rambling before.

Leisurely: These walks may be longer (up to around 10 miles) and on slightly more difficult terrain; while the paths will still generally be good, a few sections may be steep, muddy, rough or overgrown, so boots or good quality walking shoes are recommended. These walks should be at a leisurely pace: if you're naturally a faster walker you might want to consider grading your walk 'moderate’, even if it is shorter in distance. These walks should be suitable for the large majority of people in our age group.

Moderate: More energetic walks still, either because they are long (>10 miles), have significant hills, are likely to be very muddy or overgrown or because a faster pace is expected. Walking boots are strongly recommended. Suitable for reasonably fit people with some walking experience. If you are a naturally fast walker and don’t want to lead a walk at a slower pace, consider marking your walk as ‘Moderate’ even if it’s short in distance.

Strenuous: Very long walks or those covering very hilly terrain, suitable for experienced walkers of above average fitness.

Walk description

Write a brief summary of the walk in your own words, including any points of interest and the kind of area you’re walking in e.g. farmland, hills, rivers/canals; flat terrain or gentle/steep slopes.

The description doesn’t need to be too long but you might like to consider the “selling points” which would attract people to your walk. What did you enjoy about the route? How would you describe the walk if you wanted to encourage a friend to come along?

The description should be a précis of the walk, rather than a detailed route guide or long list of places. If you wish to provide more detail about the walk please include a one-line summary to begin with.

Remember that your walk will be advertised to the general public as well as to current members of the group so you should try to describe the walk as clearly as possible.

Be clear about lunch arrangements i.e. if people need to bring a packed lunch or snacks.

In times of wet weather, mud is to be expected on most walks but if a route is especially prone to muddy conditions (e.g. footpaths across fields) then you may wish to include a warning!

We’ll add our standard wording including how to book.

Starting point

Avoid parking in private car parks such as pubs, churches, village halls etc unless you have asked permission of the owner/manager as you may inadvertently block access. Most pub car parks are for the use of customers only.

Try to find a start point where there is a public car park or plenty of roadside parking. Drivers may want to know if / how much they have to pay to park.

Some rural postcodes cover a large area: please point out if drivers should pay extra attention instead of relying on a SatNav. You can pinpoint the exact location of your start point by using What3Words.com

Meeting point

A pre-start ‘meeting point’ is not essential, but can be useful e.g. for car-sharing or public transport. This is actively encouraged so as to lessen the impact of cars on the environment. However – this is an informal arrangement and individual walkers need to arrange this themselves with other group members.

If the walk start point can only be reached by car, consider a pre-start point in a more easily reached location to car-share from e.g. Queen Mother Theatre car park in Hitchin.

No driver is obliged to offer anyone a lift (although if they do they are obliged to bring the passengers back again unless alternate arrangements have been made in advance).

For more information about Stag Walkers' car-sharing policy, please read our travel advice.

Members only?

Our walks are open to the general public as well as Ramblers members. Weekends away are limited to Ramblers members only.

Donations

Donations are welcomed from non-members until they join the Ramblers. Non-members can donate in person to Stag Walkers or online to the Ramblers if they wish to. This is entirely optional and it’s not essential to ask for donations.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome on a lead at the discretion of the walk leader. The walk may not be suitable for dogs if walking through certain areas e.g. some wildlife reserves and some churchyards etc.

If you wish to make your walk dog-friendly, you should check that any places you plan to visit on your walk will welcome dogs.

Group size

Ramblers walks can have an unlimited capacity but to make the walk easier we recommend setting a maximum number no more than 30. The group size you choose will depend on what is appropriate for the route and you may wish to cap the group size at a lower number e.g. 25 if you feel less comfortable with a larger group.

Tell us about your walk

When you’ve input your details please email stagwalkplan@gmail.com so we know about it!

The planning team will then advertise the walk through the Ramblers website and our Facebook and Meetup groups. Please keep any changes to a minimum as this necessitates changes to all three platforms.

In the case of illness please let us know a few days before the date of your walk and we may be able to organise a replacement.

Now please see our notes on Leading a Walk for what to do in the days before your walk and on the walk itself.