What do I need to do to organise my first walk?
As of 2024, the Ramblers now has some mandatory training for you to complete. You should read the Walk Leader Handbook and complete two-learning courses, ‘Walk Leadership Foundations’ and ‘Preventing and Managing Incidents’, all of which can be accessed on the Ramblers website. Completing these learning modules means that any walk you lead will be covered by Ramblers insurance.
You’ll need to be registered as a Ramblers volunteer to access the training so if you plan to lead a walk for the first time and need support accessing the training material, get in touch with our Walks Coordinator.
Who can organise a walk?
Any EYW member with an active Ramblers membership can organise a walk. EYW’s walk program is created by volunteers, so we always welcome new walk organisers. You don’t need any formal qualifications but you should choose a walk that is within your skill range and experience to lead.
If you are not yet confident about your navigation skills, why not start with a coastal walk or an easy hill walk with good paths and signposting? If you already have more experience and some navigation training, feel free to organise more challenging walks. For inspiration check out our walk suggestions for new walk leaders or re-do a walk you’ve enjoyed in the past. You can also look up past EYW walks by searching by category or using the ‘search’ function on the start page.
For more tips and tricks on walk organisation, have a look at our check list for walk organisers.
Why do I need to be member with the Ramblers to lead walks for EYW?
This is for insurance reasons: all walks led by Ramblers members are covered by the Ramblers’ liability insurance. You can find more information here Walk leader insurance fact sheet and Your Guide to Ramblers Insurance.
What if you don’t want to organise a walk alone?
No problem, why not join up with someone else? Organising your first walks with a buddy can be a great way to build up confidence and spread some of the tasks. You could join up with a friend from the group or co-lead with one of our existing walk leaders. For more info, get in touch with our Walks Coordinator.
What if you’re not a driver?
No worries, you don’t need to drive for organising walks. There are many walk options that have good public transport connections and we have many drivers in the group who are happy to provide lifts for walks without public transport connection.
In case you struggle to find enough drivers for your walk, we can also extend a call for drivers per email.
Want some training or help?
EYW organise a range of walk leader training and navigation courses at various times throughout the year, so keep an eye on the events calendar. Some of the courses are designed for beginners & some cover intermediate level navigation.
You can also find tutorials for navigation here.