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Of the walks
Vel onsbers infom Is `bWill talD low-cost
club finances asser
Issue ONE
Jan 2017
Selecting the destination
Finding An Agent That’s Right For You
Chairman: Christine Knight
Vice Chairman: Herma John
Secretary: Benita Scaife
Treasurer: Claire Yates
Membership Secretary: Jilly Wood
Ordinary Members:
Tony Cooper Hilarie Sutlieff
Chris Padoin Diana Topham
John Scaife
The BAMWAT committee exists to ensure that the club is well run and that trips are organised
in the best possible way to provide enjoyable and safe hiking for all our members. We meet
frequently - at least quarterly - to discuss club finances and review trips to ensure that they
were successful and that there were no organisational or safety issues. We also organise the
Annual General Meeting which provides a great opportunity for members to meet each other
and hear about the club’s activities for the previous year and plans for the coming year. A trip
planning meeting follows so this is a great opportunity to make sure that your favourite
destinations are included in the walking schedule.
For more information or to contact any of the committee members, please e-mail:
Planner Top Tips
The Committee
Who is your audience?
Choose somewhere you like!
****
Advice on….
Selecting a destination
Booking accommodation
Car hire
Planning walks
Group size
Budgets
It is important to consider which club members
will be attracted by your trip. Different things
make a trip appealing including location and
level of difficulty.
Why shouldn’t you choose somewhere you want to go to? You will be doing a huge chunk of
the work! It is important that you enjoy doing the planning, so organising a trip to somewhere
you have always dreamt of going, or to one of your favourite spots will definitely contribute to
that enjoyment.
We are always looking for ideas for new walking destinations and roughly twice a year, the club holds
trip planning meetings. At these trip planning meetings we take suggestions for trips for the following
year. Suggesting a destination does not oblige you to organise it and as long as we can find an
organiser the trip will go ahead. We need suggestions for UK and overseas trips as well as day walks
and evening walks for the summer months.
Planning meetings ...
Trip
Provide as much information as you can about
the trip, using the BAMWAT trip flyer, which
guides you using specific headings. Ensure that
you state the level of difficulty. If there are any
specific skills needed such as scrambling or the
trip covers particular terrain such as scree or
via ferrata, you must include this information
because some members will not be comfort-
able in these situations and may even be
unsafe. Conversely, these things may be exactly
what attract other members.
It is a little more than just choosing a
favourite destination. You must be sure that
there is good walking at your destination.
When you have researched what walking is
available, choose a specific area and
concentrate on that one location. Do not be
Committee) to check whether the club owns
any walking guides for your destination
choice. Alternatively, look in your public
library or simply search the Internet. There is
a wealth of information available to you at no
cost. If you feel you need to buy a walking
book or guide, you may be able to “sell” it to
the club if you keep the receipt, but check
with Claire first.
How far do we need to drive? Can we do any
walks directly from the accommodation
without having to drive? Are there a variety
of walking options? Are there easy,
moderate and/or difficult levels of walking
available? These are some of the things you
should be thinking about.
After all, we are a walking club
and our members come on trips
with us primarily to walk!
There are several ways of
finding about walking trails and
routes and also the type of
walking in an area. You can
contact Claire Yates (or any
member of the BAMWAT
tempted to visit too many
locations. If the country or area
you choose has many good
options, plan on coming back.
Do not be too ambitious; the
best trips are the simplest and
least complicated. Consider
ease of access. How far is the
nearest international airport?
You must be sure
that there is good
walking at your
destination
Trip
We welcome your feedback on trip successes and ideas to improve trip planning
Useful tips to help you plan a successful walking trip
Trip Planning Checklist
of practical roles like cooking,
washing up, cleaning, shopping
etc. You cannot and should not be
responsible for it all and, in fact,
people enjoy the trip more if they
feel involved.
When walking you are responsible
for ensuring that all walkers are
within sight of each other and
safe, but this is also a
Trip participants
are ultimately
responsible for
their own safety
collective responsibility. Participants
are ultimately responsible for their
own safety and should know and state
their limitations. Equally, as the
organiser, you should be prepared to
listen to and encourage feedback
about the planned walks. Have a
relaxed discussion in the evenings
over a drink or during or a meal. That’s
the key to success!
I’m in charge! Well, actually, as a trip organiser you are responsible for the successful organisation of the trip
and, in that respect you are in charge. However, a successful trip depends on the active
participation of the whole group. Encourage this participation by assertively asking for
volunteers. Apart from pure hiking skills such as map reading and navigation, there are plenty
The BAMWAT trip organiser’s guide includes a
complete checklist to help you organise a
successful trip but here are some key reminders:
Advertise your trip with the trip flyer
Include clear indication of trip level
Advise minimum and maximum group size
Collect adequate deposit to cover your costs
Book accommodation
Advise group of accommodation choice
Check what club equipment needed
Advise group of any visa requirements
Check and advise vaccination requirements
Send out trip packing list (clothes/kit needed)
Remind group to take out travel insurance
Book cars, if applicable
Check bus/train times, if applicable
Ask for volunteer drivers (describe driving)
Agree roles and responsibility during trip
Hold pre-trip planning meeting
Prepare a list of group’s mobile number
and distribute
Agree departure/arrival meeting place and
time
On trip, discuss walks on previous evening and
agree definitive starting time
Of the walks
stributegroudcipaton ofo this is a treat.coma.c
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Planning the Walks
Driving Miss Daisy!
Location, Location, Location The location of the accommodation is key,
both from the point of view of getting there
and getting to the walks. Consider whether
there is public transport nearby or whether
you will need cars to get to some of the walk
start points.
.
Cost Members tend to go on
several trips a year in addition
to their personal holidays, so
they are keen to keep trip
costs to a minimum. The Club
is a member of the
International Youth Hostel
Association and youth hostels
are good value for money.
Baby, you can drive my car!
Hone your skills
Car Rental
How can I learn about navigation and map reading?
Day and Evening Walks
BA sometimes has good deals for staff with some of the large car rental companies via the
Altitudes programme. At the moment there is a recommendation to use a comparison site
but the reviews are not particularly good. So it is best to search the internet for the best
options you can find. It may be worth calling and asking whether they offer an airline or BA
discount, if you are a BA employee.
If you would like to organise a trip, but don’t feel
confident enough, why not try your hand at a
day or evening walk? Maybe you have a
favourite walk that you know well. You could
simply send an e-mail to “Fellwalking” to invite
participants. Let people know where to meet and
the best place to park (include a postcode if
possible for satnavs). Also consider whether they
should bring a packed lunch or, if the walk is
short enough, there may be time for a pub lunch.
If you plan to use public transport, check for
weekend engineering stoppages on the trains
and buses. A day walk is typically about 10-12
miles and evenings about 2 hrs. Both are quite
relaxed. They are a good way to get to know
members of the club.
Another way to gain experience at organising
trips is to volunteer to help a more experienced
convenor. If you are interested in organising trips
or helping to organise just let one of the
committee members know and we can take it
from there.
All trips are different and it is impossible
to set strict rules but here are some
things to remember regarding the use of
cars.
You don’t have to be a great map reader or walk leader to organise a trip, but if you
are not confident in map reading, you should ensure that at least one member of the
group is competent in this area and agrees to support you with leading the walks.
Make sure you have agreed with them in advance what they will do. In hill or
mountain terrain it is not enough to follow a guidebook. You must have a map and
compass as a back-up and someone in the group must know how to use them.
BAMWAT members are
used to a variety of
accommodation ranging
from tents to hotels. The
ideal option is somewhere
in between: youth hostels
or guest houses are
perfectly acceptable and a
good low-cost option.
BAMWAT members come on trips
primarily to walk and cars help us get to
the accommodation and to the start of
the walks. Driving should not be
considered an integral part of the trip. Do
not select walks whose start is more than
an hour’s drive away.
Maps and excellent walking guides can be bought
for most destinations. Stanfords is one of the best
suppliers and you can buy online at stanfords.co.uk
or from their shop, located in Long Acre, Covent
Garden. If you do not want to keep maps/guides,
check first because the club may already have what
you need or a club member may be prepared to lend
you their copy.
Amazon and themapshop.co.uk are also good online
sources for maps and books and don’t forget that
there is a wealth of free information on the Internet.
Also other club members may have been to the
destination before so do not hesitate to ask!
It is not necessary to plan all the walks
before you arrive in the destination but you
should have a good idea what the various
options are and key facts such as the length
of the walks and the duration. Bear in mind
that duration varies depending on the
terrain. For example ten miles in mountain
terrain with steep ascents will take
considerably longer than ten miles on a
valley walk.
Consider who is in the group. Are there
enough walks to cater for different skill
levels and interests? Is the group large
enough to split so that different walks can
be done in a day? If you consider this option,
you must have enough competent map
readers so that both groups have one. If not,
the group should stay together.
Where possible select some walks that can
start and end at the accommodation
without the use of cars, or check whether
there are any public transport options.
Whatever options you choose, avoid starts
that are too far away and require more than
one hour’s travel time. Thoughts after a
walk are “home, shower, food” in that order
with maybe beer or wine preceding food.
Then we talk about what a great day it was!
Not all club members are confident map readers and this usually does not hinder them but this is because
a skilled map reader is almost always part of the group. It is important to remember that each participant
on a trip is responsible for their own safety and navigation and map reading skills could save your life in a
hazardous situation. Weather in mountainous areas is notoriously unpredictable and, though we never
plan to walk in bad weather, it does happen and the more competent navigators the club has the better.
We run a navigation weekend once a year, usually in the late autumn, to give everyone a chance to learn
or practise navigation skills. Ask a committee member for more information and check the trip list for the
next date.
Group size depends on various things. If
the trip is in the UK and there is space at
the accommodation, then group sizes can
range from 4 to 20 or more. With larger
groups it is a good idea to split into smaller
groups either doing the same or different
walks. For overseas trips, especially when
standby travel is involved, smaller groups
are easier to manage. When car hire is
involved, you must consider the number
of cars needed and the increased cost if
only a 2-3 people are in one car. 8 is a good
number in this case – enough for an
enjoyable trip but manageable.
If your overseas trip involves car hire
then you must be careful about group
size because cars limit the numbers you
can accept otherwise your costs will
increase substantially.
Allow for 4 passengers per car for the
best value.
When choosing, think about the luggage
capacity of the car. Rental companies
are never very clear about this, so it is
often better to opt for a larger car to
allow for boot space. Four people can
carry quite a bit of luggage for a walking
trip. That said, you should always ask
participants to bring small suitcases and
definitely no hard shell cases, which
take up too much room.
Get a room!
Booking accommodation
We also get a group discount if we use the
club YHA card (available from Claire Yates).
Basic, clean guesthouses are also a good
option as are basic but good quality hotels.
Accommodation will vary depending on the
destination.
Sharing It is fine to expect members to share rooms.
However do not ask women to share with
men unless they are a couple. Book twin
rooms, avoiding double beds because
several members are not happy sharing a
bed with someone they do not know very
well.
In Youth Hostels you should try as much as
possible to book space in same sex dorms
but it is worth asking the group if they are
happy to book a mixed dorm if it is occupied
only by our group. As a general rule, girls are
not comfortable in mixed dorms (except in
the above situation).
It is important to think about the number of
men and women in your group in order to
avoid embarrassing situations with sharing.
Group Size
Before leaving you should ask for volunteer
drivers. Aim for two drivers per car - select
the “Additional driver” option when
booking – because it is important that
drivers have the opportunity to rest and,
frankly, to enjoy the trip as much as the rest
of the group.
Not all drivers are comfortable driving
overseas, especially on the “wrong” side of
the road, or on difficult terrain, like
mountain roads, so check that your
volunteers know exactly what type of
driving they are signing up for.
Ask all drivers to bring their complete
driving licence just in case one of the
volunteer drivers is unable to drive at the
last minute, e.g. they miss the flight.