Calling all members/ potential leaders!

I have recently led my first walk. I did this because I have been a member for a few years and in that time I have enjoyed so many walks I would never have ventured to try on my own. For this enjoyment I have to thank all the leaders who frequently and regularly put themselves forward to lead a walk.

As members we are many in number, and those leaders are few in number, so to show our appreciation of the efforts made by these leaders and the committee members, who work on our behalf, I thought a few more of us could step forward as leaders. I feel confident in encouraging those of us who hesitate for various reasons because I can reassure them all that they will be well supported.

First of all, Sue Crisp, as Walks Programme Organizer, sends you a comprehensive leaflet of ' Instructions and guidance for walk leaders'. In addition, footpaths are much easier to follow in the new 1:25 000 scale maps, and publications, available in the library, on tried walks by Nick Moon of OFS and Alan Spicer et al of the 'Oxford Polytechnic' are excellent support.

Secondly, I have found, experienced leaders are very willing to offer advice on routes or do a recce with you. I found it helpful to walk the route a few weeks before the nominated date, but more importantly, to walk it again during the week of the walk. On the day, if your memory or your map-reading fail you temporarily, all is not lost; as it happened to me, two kind souls rescued me with their expert map-reading skills and we were back on track again, our reward was to find an even better spot for lunch (thank you Robert and John!).

Emerita (Eme) Pilgrim