This is a recycled blog - From GUCH News

Originally published in GUCH New Winter 2010 (if you don't get it sign up here: http://www.guch.guidecat.org.uk/lists/?p=subscribe)

You’re going walking? Don’t all of your lot have heart conditions?

So said the unsuspecting person in the office the other day when my antics for the weekend were discussed.


This got me thinking that maybe people have the wrong idea about the GUCH Walking Club (GWC). It shouldn’t come as such as surprise to people who’ve sponsored me for marathons, seen me jog at lunchtimes and generally muck about in the great outdoors, that the GUCH Walking Club is not an elite group made up of super-fit athletes.

We are just a group of like-minded individuals who enjoy coming together to share a bit of gentle exercise and to push our boundaries in small but achievable ways. Simply put, we have fun, a natter and enjoy an amble/ramble/stroll as the group sees fit. We see the most beautiful of places, either outdoors or indoors if the weather is bad, and work up healthy appetites for
our food. (An excellent excuse to pig out!)

The strolls are planned around what people feel they are able to do, and there is no pressure on anyone to actually walk if they don’t feel like it on the day. The routes are planned so that there are plenty of places to pause for breath (officially known as taking photos), take in stunning views (taking photos), and have lunch and coffee breaks.

The GWC has been in existence for a few years, and between us we’ve got lots of experience on how to make our walks ‘GUCH friendly’. The unofficial motto of the GWC has come to be “no-one walks on their own”, and the more experienced GUCH walk leaders always encourage and make sure that newer people feel welcome.

There is never any pressure to walk at a particular speed or distance, and routes can always be
shortened or modified if necessary. We do have some simple rules to make sure everyone stays safe and knows exactly what we’re doing and why, and these are always explained at the beginning of a walk.

If you are interested in meeting up with some GUCHs in some beautiful countryside for a weekend, a day or even just popping along to hear tall tales in the evening, then get in touch
– email Paul Willgoss (paul.willgoss@btinternet.com) for more info. If you want to read more about the fun we have had then www.guchwalkingclub.org.uk is our home on the web.

The GWC is supported by a grant from GUCH PA but operates independently.



Paul Willgoss

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