My first walking event
Walks with OutdoorLads are usually fairly relaxed, at a steady pace and include breaks to enjoy the surroundings, let everyone catch up and for snacks and lunch.
We offer three types of walks:
Leisure
Short walks, usually less than a few miles on relatively flat town/city or countryside. They’re suitable for all abilities and no special kit is needed, just wear clothes for the weather and trainers are great.
Lowland and Hill
Generally longer walks, suitable for most people and no special kit needed. It may be muddy so wear trainers that you don’t mind getting dirty or walking boots.
Mountain
More strenuous and will include some steep climbs up and down. A moderate level of fitness is ideal. The weather may be cold, wet, windy and more changeable higher up, so bring layers and clothes to keep you dry. Boots are essential for most of these walks.
Clothing and safety
There’s lots of expensive kit, including breathable jackets and trousers. They’re probably not necessary for your first walk, as long as you stay warm and dry and have food and drink. The event page will make it clear if you do need any specialist kit, and they'll take the neccessary steps to keep the group safe on a walk. All mountain walk leaders are Outdoor First Aid qualified and will have first aid kits on them.
You can message the leader if you have any questions before the event.
More info
The event page details the type of walk, distance, ascent and how long it’s expected to take. You can check the availability, starting point and sometimes the route. Most walks are accessible by public transport, others are only accessible by car, but we have an excellent car-sharing culture in OutdoorLads. Make sure you're signed into your OutdoorLads account to see all of the meeting info!
What to bring recommends suggested kit you'll need for the walk.
Food & drink details the lunch options. Walks will break for a lunch stop, sometimes at a cafe or pub but often you'll need to bring a packed lunch.
Meeting & times shows the start time and likely end time. The leader will be there early to meet the group. If you do not see specific times here, you're not signed into your account.
See who’s already going shows the event leader and other OutdoorLads attending (again, you'll need to be signed in to see this)
The leader will provide a briefing at the start of the walk, talk through the walk, the route, breaks, points of interest and answer any questions.
We all walk at different speeds and our walks tend to naturally break into smaller groups and you will get a chance to chat to people on the walk and during breaks.
During the walk if you have any questions, feedback or need any help, just ask the leader.
Waitlist
Walks are popular, and often become oversubscribed, however, we often see a lot of cancellation in the couple of days before the event takes place, so we always recommend joining the waitlist. The vast majority of walks go ahead on the day with spaces still available, even when there was previously a long waitlist.
Who are our leaders?
All OutdoorLads Leaders are volunteers. They have been trained and assessed to be capable of leading the different levels of walks.
If you have any questions please contact the walk leader via the event page, or contact us.
Great savings
If you’re looking to buy new kit for your next adventure, check out your exclusive discounts under Membership menu!
