Ramblers Wellbeing Walks,

Easy Access and Easy walks

Ramblers walking grade

Ramblers Short group walks from as little as 10 minutes in length, suitable for everyone along Wellbeing Walks accessible, easy-access paths. Comfortable shoes and trainers are usually suitable. Walks for everyone, including people with conventional wheelchairs and pushchairs, Easy Access using easy-access paths. Comfortable shoes or trainers can usually be worn. Assistance may be needed to push wheelchairs on some sections. Walks for anyone who does not have a mobility difficulty or a specific health problem. Easy Suitable for pushchairs if they can be lifted over occasional obstructions. Comfortable shoes or trainers can usually be worn.

Key features

• Walking on clear, well-maintained paths. • Any significant water features (canals, rivers or streams) will be crossed using
• Walking is mostly (or exclusively) on the flat. bridges, tunnels or other structures.
• Throughout the walk the group will generally
• These walks are not appropriate be no more than a few hundred meters from when it is very icy. a key access point such as a road, car park, lay-by or populated area.

First Aid skills Navigation skills

You must know how to summon help along These walks require the most basic day-to-day your route and where you can access emergency skills, which include being able to: services/roads.

• Plan the route and estimate duration If there is an accident, you may have to deal with of a walk (often from a simple map). simple blisters and bruising, a sprain or fracture. Walkers may choose to share information with • Pace and time a walk. you about pre-existing health conditions. You • Use simple features to stay on track (sometimes should ideally know how to give CPR. called tick, handrail, or catching features).

Leisurely and Moderate walks

Ramblers walking grade

Walks for reasonably fit people with at least a little country walking experience. May include Leisurely unsurfaced rural paths. Walking boots and warm, waterproof clothing are recommended. Walks for people with country walking experience and a good level of fitness. May include Moderate some steep paths and open country, and may be at a brisk pace. Walking boots and warm, waterproof clothing are more likely to be essential.

Key features

• These walks are in more open countryside, • Any significant water features (canals, moorland and heath but not in mountainous rivers or streams) will be crossed using terrain. You won’t be walking in very steep bridges, tunnels or other structures. or rocky areas.
• Some walks can quickly become strenuous
• You’ll follow paths for much of the walk or technical in wintery conditions. Check the and may also cross short sections of open skills you need for those types of walks too. countryside. Paths may not be on the map.

First Aid skills

You must know how to summon help along your You should know how to do a primary survey and route and how you can access emergency services place somebody in the recovery position while (including in any areas without phone signal). help is on the way. You may need extra clothing and equipment to keep a casualty warm and as You should be able to deal with simple cuts, blisters comfortable as possible while you wait for help and bruising. If someone has a fall it could result in to arrive – which could take several hours.

a significant sprain, broken bones and/or blood

loss that may need first aid while help is arriving. As well as the casualty you may need to keep the You should ideally know how to give CPR. group warm and comfortable, to prevent more casualties from exposure.

Leisurely and Moderate walks

Navigation skills

For leisurely and moderate walks, you may need to: On moderate walks you may also need to:

• Plan the route and estimate the duration • Re-plan short parts of the route on the move. of a walk.
• Understand the benefits and limitations
• Use features to stay on track. of digital mapping and GPS devices.
• Understand map colours, symbols • Measure distances on the map and ground and basic contours. and judge distance travelled.
• Understand how to orientate a map • Navigate away from linear features in poor using key features or a compass to visibility and/or darkness. work out your direction of travel.
• Understand contours and how to identify
• Know how to relocate yourself gradients and major land features. on a map.
• Communicate your location to emergency services.

Strenuous walks

Ramblers walking grade

Walks for experienced country walkers with a higher fitness level. May include hills and rough country, and may be at a brisk pace. Walking boots and warm, waterproof clothing Strenuous are essential. People in doubt about their fitness should contact the organiser or leader in advance. Paths may be unclear on the ground, so map and compass skills are essential.

Key features

• Walks may be considered strenuous due • Some walks may involve scrambling – but to the terrain, length or pace of the walk. climbing activities (including pitched climbing, where members of a group ascend in stages
• They can quickly become technical walks one after the other with the aid of a rope) in winter conditions. Refer to the technical are not included. skills that you may need too.

First Aid skills

You must know how to summon help along your You must know how to do a primary survey and route and how you can access emergency services place somebody in the recovery position whilst (including in any areas without phone signal). help is on the way. You may need extra clothing and equipment to keep a casualty warm and as You must be able to deal with simple cuts, blisters comfortable as possible while you wait for help and bruising. If someone has a fall it could result to arrive – which could take several hours.

in a significant sprain, broken bones and/or blood

loss that may need first aid while help is arriving. As well as the casualty you may need to keep the You must know how to give CPR. group warm and comfortable, to prevent more casualties from exposure.

Strenuous walks

Navigation skills

You should be able to lead a group with confidence and navigate efficiently according to the terrain. This may include locations with limited linear features to assist navigation, or challenging conditions such as high wind and low visibility. In addition to the skills for more leisurely and moderate walks, you are likely to need to:

• Take accurate bearings from the map and use • Use contour details such as aspects of slope, them to stay on course over long distances. re-entrants, ridges, ring contours.
• Orientate the map to more limited features • Use a paper map and compass to estimate on the ground. the distance travelled on a bearing over varying terrain.
• Measure distance accurately on the map and estimate distance travelled on level terrain. • Plan routes and navigate on pathless terrain.
• Relocate in remote areas. • Navigate in poor visibility (e.g. mist, fog, whiteout, or darkness).

Technical walks

Ramblers walking grade

Walks for experienced and very fit walkers with additional technical skills. They may Technical require scrambling and use of ice axes or crampons. Paths may be unclear on the ground so advanced map and compass skills are essential.

Key features

• Technical walks often require additional kit • Climbing activities (including pitched to manage safety - carefully check kit for all climbing, where members of a party walkers, as the consequences of inadequate ascend in stages one after the other kit can be significant. with the aid of a rope) are not included.
• Many less challenging walks can quickly • Technical walk leaders will have significant become technical in winter conditions. experience, most likely gained through Walkers may need additional kit such as specialist training such as Winter Mountain ice axes or crampons, to traverse a route Leader qualification and/or additional that was otherwise passable in summer. skills training.

First Aid skills

You must know how to summon help along your You will be able to keep a casualty warm and as route and how you can access emergency services comfortable as possible while you wait for help (including in any areas without phone signal). to arrive – which could take several hours. You must be able to deal with simple cuts, blisters As well as the casualty you will need to keep the and bruising. If someone has a fall it could result group warm and comfortable, to prevent more in a significant sprain, broken bones and/or blood casualties from exposure.

loss that may need first aid while help is arriving.

You will need specific skills and kit to manage the

You must know how to give CPR. risk of avalanches. This may include: rescue from You must know how to do a primary survey and burials and partial burials, carrying snow probes place somebody in the recovery position while and shovels, and having knowledge of how to help is on the way. identify and treat cold weather injuries.

Technical walks

Navigation skills

You must be able to lead a group with confidence and navigate efficiently according to the terrain. This may include locations with limited linear features to assist navigation, or challenging conditions such as high wind and low visibility. In addition to the skills for all other grades of walk, you must also have these technical skills:

• Avalanche awareness. For more information, • The ability to use a confidence rope to visit beaware.sais.gov.uk aid a walker in an emergency.
• The ability to plan your route using • The ability to assess snow conditions and an avalanche forecast. features dynamically on the day and adjust the route if appropriate.
• The ability to adjust timings and pace to account for winter conditions. • The ability to interpret a map when features – such as paths, walls and water – are obscured
• The ability to identify and avoid geographical by snow cover.

hazards that are specific to winter conditions.