Common questions
WALKS
MEMBERSHIP
SOCIALS AND WEEKENDS AWAY
EXISTING MEMBERS QUESTIONS
WALKS
Where do you walk?
We walk in London and anywhere within approximately a one hour's train ride from London. Within the City, our walks take place in London's parks, villages and along London's rivers. Outside London, we walk in beautiful areas such as the Chilterns, North Downs, South Downs and South Coast and in all London's surrounding counties including Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. To see our next five walks,
We also organise weekends away to some of the UK's top hiking destinations such as the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, the Peak District, the Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons, and beautiful walking destinations such as Cornwall, Jersey, Dorset and Northern Ireland.
See our walks page for further information.
How often do you walk?
We generally have five walks per week throughout the year with two walks each Saturday and two walks each Sunday, and an evening strolls usually on a Tuesday evening. We also have walks on most bank holidays. With our weekend walks typically there will be a choice each day between one more strenuous and one more leisurely walk. Our weekends away take place most months with more scheduled during the summer months.
Do I need to book to go on a walk?
No, if you want to attend one of our day walks, there is no need to book or contact the walk leader in advance. Just turn up at the stated time and meeting place. We are usually easy to spot. Just look out for a bunch of people hanging around inside or outside the station in walking boots! If by any chance you don't see anyone at the station, just hop on the train and we'll all meet up when we get to the destination station. For evening strolls, look for a big group of people in their work clothes outside the designated tube station.
In the case of our weekends away, these are open to Metropolitan Walker members only and you are required to email the organiser in advance. Special arrangements are often made for transport or meals over the weekend and the organiser therefore needs to know who will be attending.
Do I have to be a member to come on walks?
You're welcome to come on a couple of walks to try us out. You don't need to ask permission to come ' just turn up! The group is always keen to encourage new members and on each walk there are usually several people who haven't been before. If after this you would like to continue walking with the group, we ask that you become a member.
If you are already a member of the Ramblers' Association, you're welcome to come along at any time. However, you will need to be a member of the Metropolitan Walkers to come on our weekend trips away.
What do I need to bring on a walk?
Bring snacks and enough water for the day. Also, bring waterproof clothing in case of rain and an extra layer of clothing such as a fleece in case the weather changes for the worse. During the summer, it is a good idea to bring sun cream and a hat. In the winter you may like to bring gloves and a warm hat.
What should I wear?
Whatever you are comfortable in! Trainers should be adequate on most of our urban or shorter walks, although it can be muddy so your trainers may get muddy! For longer walks, we recommend you wear walking trainers or walking boots (walking boots are best for our weekends away to mountainous areas). If a walk is described as muddy you may like to wear gaiters or waterproof trousers to keep the mud off your trousers. Although we often stop at a pub that serves food for lunch, it is a good idea to bring food with you, in case the pub is too crowded to get served during the lunch break.
I've not done much walking before, will I be fit enough?
So long as you're reasonably fit you should be fine. However, if you're at all worried then start with one of our shorter walks, or one that has drop-out points. You can then gradually work your way up to one of our more strenuous walks.
How do I get to the meeting point?
All of our walks are accessible via public transport, which means that they start at a train or tube station. The walk description will specify the train to catch or tube station to meet at. Occasionally last minute changes occur due to engineering works. Where possible, we will update our web site with the latest travel information so it is worth checking our web site before starting your journey. We also aim to notify all our members of any changes to the programme. To be kept up to date, email us with your name, membership number and expiry date.
If you are travelling by train, we recommend that you confirm train times via National Rail Enquiries on
08457 48 49 50 or www.nationalrail.co.uk. If travelling by tube, we recommend that you check with
Transport for London.
I notice that your walks are graded, what does that mean?
We use the Ramblers Association grading system. All of our walks tend to be leisurely, moderate or strenuous.
How many people do you get on a walk?
We usually get between 20 and 40 people on a walk. However, this depends a lot on the weather and the location. The record for the biggest turnout currently stands at 84, though this is unusually high!
At what time do your walks end?
This is an impossible question to answer. Our walks end when they end. The time will depend on what time the walk starts, the length of the walk, the terrain, the number of people in the group, the speed of people in the group, the weather on the day, how long we stop for lunch, and a whole host of other factors. Therefore, it is impossible to give an exact time for any walk, so please don't call the walk leader asking for one!
In the event of bad weather or engineering work, will the walk still go ahead?
Yes, walks go ahead whatever the weather and whatever transport problems are thrown at us. However, in extreme cases, walks may be shortened and/or changed if it makes sense to do so. Occasionally, severe engineering works may mean we may have no choice but to cancel a walk. If this happens, we will always try to offer an alternative walk where possible. We aim to keep our web site up to date with any changes to our programme so it is worth checking our web site before starting your journey. We also aim to notify all our members of any changes. To be kept up to date, email us with your name, membership number and expiry date.
On our programmes we provide mobile phone numbers of our walk leaders, which members can use if in any doubt, or if they run into problems while travelling to the meeting point.
MEMBERSHIP
How do I join the Metropolitan Walkers?
The Metropolitan Walkers is a group within the Ramblers' Association. To join please click here. You must specify that you want to join the Metropolitan Walkers or you will be assigned to a group by your postcode. If you pay by direct debit, you will receive one month free and will ensure that you always receive our programme.
What are the benefits of joining?
Once you have tried out three walks, we expect you to become a member. Membership benefits include:
* Quarterly programme of walks, socials and weekends away
* Regular email updates on any changes to the programme
* Eligible to participate in weekends away and socials.
* Quarterly Walk magazine
* Annual handbook "Walk Britain"
* 10% off at outdoor shops Millets, Blacks and Rohan.
* Your membership fee supports the Ramblers Association's charitable work to promote walking and to ensure access to our footpaths is protected.
How much does it cost to join?
It costs only £27 a year for an individual or £36 per year for a couple. If you join by direct debit, you will get one month free.
For more information on membership rates click here.
You are listed as a 20s-30s group. I'm older than that. Can I still come?
Yes, although we are a 20s-30s group, we have no strict age limit.
Most of our members range in age from their 20s to early 40s. If you are older, you may prefer to walk with Capital Walkers - a recently established initiative targeting walkers in their late 30s to early 50s. Or perhaps one of the other Ramblers groups within Inner London,
which have a mix of people of different ages. To find your nearest
non-age specific group click here.
I'm already a member of the Ramblers' Association, but in a different group. How do I join the Metropolitan Walkers?
If you would like to switch your group, contact the RA's Membership Department. If you would like to remain a member of your current group, then you can register with the Metropolitan Walkers as an Associate Member. What this means it that we will send you programmes as they come out (but that's all, no other correspondence nor voting rights). There is no extra charge for this.
If you would like to register as an Associate Member, contact our Group Secretary
(see Contacts). Please state your name, RA membership number and expiry date (all of which you can find on your RA membership card) together with the name of your current group. We will be unable to process your registration without these four items of information.
SOCIALS AND WEEKENDS AWAY
Do you have any social events?
Yes. We hold regular social activities for our members, ranging from eating out and pub crawls to classical concerts, dancing, cycling and ice-skating. New members are welcome to join us for our monthly pub social, which is held on the second Thursday of each month. Suggestions for new activities are always welcome.
Do you do holidays or trips away from London?
Yes, members of the group organise weekends away to some of the UK's top hiking destinations such as the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, the Peak District, the Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons, and beautiful walking destinations such as Cornwall, Jersey, Dorset and Northern Ireland. Weekends away take place most months with more during the summer months.
For existing members, detailed information about the weekends away can be found in the programme,
on facebook and on our forum
For trips further afield, we recommend you check out Ramblers Holidays.
EXISTING MEMBERS QUESTIONS
How do I get a copy of your walks programme?
You must be a member of the Metropolitan Walkers to receive a programme. Walks programmes are sent by email to new members of the Metropolitan Walkers as they join and every quarter thereafter. If you are a member but haven't received a programme then please contact the Group Secretary (see Contacts).
We send our programmes out by email as it reduces admin (the committee are all volunteers who run the group in their spare time!), it saves money (we are a charity) and it helps the environment by reducing the amount of paper we consume. If you need to receive the programme through the post, please contact the Group Secretary (see Contacts).
If you are a member of a different group within the Ramblers' Association, you can receive regular programmes by becoming an Associate Member of the Metropolitan Walkers. (see Question 17).
If you are not yet a member of the Ramblers' Association and would like to see details of forthcoming walks click here
I've changed my address. Who should I contact?
The Ramblers' Association holds the master list of postal addresses for members across all groups.
To change your postal address please contact the RA's Membership Department. When doing so, make sure you request to stay in the same group, otherwise you will be moved to your nearest regular (non 20-30s) group, thereby dropping membership of the Metropolitan Walkers.
However, for email addresses, the Metropolitan Walkers keeps the list. To change your registered email address, please contact the Group Secretary (see Contacts), including your name and RA membership number, which can be found on your Ramblers membership card.
Who runs the group and organises the walks?
The Metropolitan Walkers is run by volunteers within the group. A committee organises the group as a whole, with backing from the Ramblers' Association. Walks are all led by volunteer members of the group. Your participation is encouraged!
I would like to volunteer to lead a walk or a social. Who should I contact?
With a busy programme of five walks a week, weekends away most months and socials most weeks, and an ever increasing number of members, we are always looking for people to become a walk leader or to organise a social. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Group's Walks Co-ordinator, Socials Co-ordinator or Weekends Away Co-ordinator (see Contacts).
I would like to volunteer to lead a walk but it seems a little daunting! Can you help?
We understand that some new leaders can be a little nervous when it comes to leading a group for the first time! If you haven't led a walk before and would like some help, please contact our Walks Co-ordinator who will be happy to give you ideas for walks or to be buddy you up with an existing walk leader. Why not start with leading a short stroll to build up your confidence? There are many resources available from the Ramblers Association website (www.ramblers.org.uk/info/).
Walk leading is YOUR opportunity to put on your preferred type of walk with the amount of challenge and at the pace that you enjoy, whether that means exploring distant areas or planning a walk near home and getting an extra hour's sleep!
I would like to stand for election for a post in the Committee. Who should I contact?
The Committee is elected once a year at the group's Annual General Meeting. Posts are advertised on the forum and via email prior to the AGM. Please contact the Group's Chair (see Contacts) if you are interested in standing.
I would like to report a footpath problem encountered on a walk. What should I do?
The Ramblers' Association campaigns to open up all public rights of way in England and Wales and to ensure that the existing rights of way network is protected. It's important that any footpath problems encountered when out walking are
reported (with details such as location, grid reference etc) so as they can be investigated and resolved.
Footpath problems can be reported directly to the relevant local authority,
to the Ramblers' Association using its online reporting form.
|
