Weather Forecasts
(at Glen Shee and altitude corrected)
and supported by Voluntary Action Fund
Funded by the Scottish Community Foundation
Blairgowrie and District Next Steps
Information
Joining Medical Subscriptions Transport Programmes Equipment Meals Walk Duration Litter Toilet Stops Liability Smoking Dogs Maps Walk Grading
In view of the Health Walking background prospective participants should join in with the Wednesday walks prior to trying the more advanced walks. But apart from this joining is easy, though there are subscription fees (see below). We also need to collect contact information and there is a short (Physical Activity Readiness Questionannaire - PARQ) medical questionnaire that we need to have completed along with agreement to the Code of Conduct. Contact and associated details will be held in electronic format but not passed to any other person or organisation. Such details will only be used to assist with administration of the group.
If you are new to walking particularly in the countryside please come and try some of the Wednesday walk sessions before committing yourself to anything that could be too strenuous. Please also read the fitness note and kit-list page for additional technical information.
Any medical conditions that the leaders need to be aware of should be advised before each walk. Any details will be kept in strictest confidence and will allow the leader to make appropriate allowances as needed. It is a condition of joining that emergency contact details are registered. This is for your own safety in the highly unlikely event of something going wrong. If you feel unwell at any time during the walk it is essential that you let the leaders know. While most are qualified first aiders, they cannot perform miracles!
Moderate and Advanced Walks
The costs of providing the additional facilities for the Moderate and Advanced walks involve providing and running a minibus. An annual participant subscription of £10 goes towards the fixed charges of this, and for each walk a fee of £3 is charged. Anyone taking part in both Advanced and Moderate walks will pay a reduced fee of £4 for that week.
Easy Walks
A weekly charge of £3 is made. This covers the cost of town hall hire, refreshments and use of large service buses.
For reasons of safety and logistics there are limited places on most walks, either on the service bus on a Wednesday or in the minibus on the other days. It is essential therefore, that for any walks using transport you pre-book to avoid disappointment! You are free to turn up on the off-chance but please note that the pre-booked places take priority.
Walks are run weekly and our programmes are available in advance. Each itinerary is planned with at least a week's notice. Occasionally it may be necessary to rearrange a day for matters outwith the organisers control and for this reason all walkers are advised to be prepared with appropriate clothing, equipment and meals as appropriate at all times.
Please note that for safety and comfort reasons it is essential that walkers are equipped as a minimum to the standards explained here. Anybody not suitably equipped may not be allowed to participate in the walk.
On the Easy Wednesday walks you only need to carry appropriate outer clothing, though a small snack such as a chocolate bar and a small bottle of water are advised. The longer walks are usually of at least 3 or 4 hours duration, sometimes up to 7 or 8 hours so it is essential that you bring along a packed lunch or snacks with a warm drink, sufficient for the expected duration. It is also highly advisable to bring along additional water for sipping during the walk. Hydration is extremely important, even in Scotland and it is good practice to consider carrying and drinking around ½ litre per hour when walking. Please see the fitness note for additional information.
Walks are planned in advance. For the more advanced walks these are based on walking at around 4km/h (2½mph) and ascending at around 45secs to 1min per 10metres, with lunch and stopping allowances, and estimated travel time to and from the Blairgowrie. However, for many reasons the return time can never be guaranteed. Progress depends on the speed of the group, weather, number of stops for photographs, snacks, adjusting clothing, breather, etc. Please do not plan something based on the published return time without allowing for a late return. Worrying about getting back in time makes the individuals and sometimes the rest of the group anxious and can often lead to accidents and problems through trying to rush.
In accordance with the principles of 'Tread Lightly' all litter, wrappers, unused food, paper, etc should be taken back to a rubbish bin and disposed of properly. It is bad practice to bury waste which can pollute water courses, and be dug up by wild animals.
Inevitably it will be necessary to relieve oneself when out in the wild. All excreted waste can cause pollution and disease. Do not urinate near water courses, which may feed private water supplies. In particular if it is necessary to defecate in the outdoors a suitable hole should be dug approx 6" deep, with toilet tissue burnt and the ashes buried along with the waste preferably at least 100m from water and footpaths. Personal sanitary materials must be taken away, and this includes faeces if they cannot be buried effectively. Ziplock sandwich bags layered inside each other provide an effective means of carriage. As usual hands should be washed afterwards - dry cleaning gels are suitable for this purpose and do not add further pollution to the environment. As a last resort wet sphagnum moss (which is naturally antiseptic) can be used instead of tissue, but should also be buried!
Those taking part in
the Blairgowrie & District Next Steps do so at their own risk.
The organisers and sponsors of events shall not be liable for any accident or
injury, however caused. You are advised to check your own personal accident
cover, before taking part.
Please
be considerate of others if you wish to smoke when on any of the walks, and also
to avoid undue risk of fire.
In general because of being in a group, passing through farm land and where wild life is usually present it is not desirable to bring along your pets. By all means use our walks as a means of finding out where to go yourself and then visit at a later date with your dog, bearing in mind Responsible Access as defined by the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
Our walks make use of the following Ordnance Survey maps:
Explorer 1:25,000 scale (orange cover)
379 - Dunkeld, Aberfeldy & Glen Almond
380 - Dundee & Sidlaw Hills
381 - Blairgowrie, Kirriemuir and Glamis
387 - Glen Shee & Braemar
388 - Lochnagar, Glen Muick & Glen Clova
Landranger 1:50,000 scale (red cover)
43 - Braemar to Blair Atholl
44 - Ballater, Glen Clova & surounding area
53 - Blairgowrie & Forest of Alyth
The Wednesday Easy walks are undertaken at a leisurely pace of around 2½ kph (1 to 1½ miles per hour). The longer Wednesday walks and especially the other days will require an ability to maintain a speed of at around 4kph (2½mph), sometimes up to around 5kph (3mph). Please see the grading discussion on the fitness note page. Published distances, ascents and difficulty are for guidance only, if you have any queries about the walks or indeed any other matter please contact the organisers. The Wednesday Easy walks will usually be on hard paved or gravel surfaces, though occasionally soft and wet ground may be encountered especially on rural tracks or woodland. On extremely rare occasions it may be necessary to negotiate stiles or gates some of which can be locked unexpectedly. If any member of the group cannot negotiate these obstacles then an alternative route will be taken which may well add to the journey time. Invariably members of the group assist each other so there is no reason to feel excluded or barred from participation. The Advanced walks in particular but sometimes also Moderate will go across more uneven and rugged ground, including climbing steep rough heather covered hills, deer fences, burns, and on the occasional big hill scree and boulders, and even sometimes ice and snow. Advanced walkers are expected to be prepared for more extreme weather conditions, along with the terrain. The Advanced and occasionally Moderate walks will invariably go into 'unknown' terrain based on a map rather than a defined path. Participants on these walks must be prepared to extend their own boundaries! The satisfaction of having done so significantly outweighs the exertion at the time. Breathing heavily is a natural consequence of undertaking any exertion, and affects everybody - including the leaders!
Home Schedules Contacts Top of page
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| On top of Creag Leacach |
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| On top of Meall Uaine |
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| Finally on the top of Ben Lawers |
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| Rowanbank is behind you! |
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| Deuchary Hill and Lochan na Beinne (Loch of the Hill) |
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| Waterfall above Dirnanean |
