Ask the experts: Spring 2010
Q: After years of avoiding exercise, my friend is looking to get fit in 2010 and I’m encouraging her to try walking. Can you recommend a regimen that will ease her into walking gently but build up over time so I can eventually go on a hike up Snowdon with her? Jo Atherley
Dr Helen Crawley: Walking is an excellent way back into exercise as you can improve at your own pace. The goals your friend sets should be hers and will depend upon her current level of fitness and any problems such as arthritis, or heart or lung disease. Your friend could start by calculating how far she usually walks by using a pedometer for a few days and averaging the results. She can gradually increase her daily walking by 1,000 steps every week. This is easily achievable by walking instead of taking the car, and adding small walks to your daily routine. In a few weeks, your friend could be starting to climb hills and going for longer walks once or twice a week. She should then gradually increase her walking pace, tackle bigger hills and enjoy longer hikes until she’s ready to conquer Snowdon! There’s lots more advice for first-time walkers, including a 12-week structured starter pack, at www.getwalking.org.
Q: I travel to India every year to take part in a pilgrimage, which involves a two-day climb to a temple at 457m/1,500ft. When I reach the top of these mountains, my legs feel weak and shaky so I worry I could fall on the descent. My knee joints and general health are fine; my doctor says it’s just the age I am (72). Are there any food supplements or things I can do to strengthen my leg muscles? I Oberoi
Dr Helen Crawley: I agree with your GP about the problem being age-related, but it’s excellent news that your legs are free of arthritis and your muscles don’t give out before you reach the summit. The most likely cause of your wobbly legs is the sustained effort of climbing a mountain. Most weeks you walk for a good number of hours, but mountain climbing requires continuous effort and muscle power to lift your weight. I recommend a healthy balanced diet and graduated training rather than food supplements. Build up to your pilgrimage with regular hill walks, steadily increasing your distance. When you tackle the mountain, take your time on the ascent, enjoying frequent breaks and regularly snacking on high-energy foods with plenty of fluids. Before descending, take a good rest, and eat and drink again. Walking poles may also increase your stability and confidence.
Q: There is a public footpath through a farmyard in Worcestershire that has been blocked off by the farmer with chained gates. How do I get the route opened up? Theresa Flatley
Anastasia French: First, you should check with the local highway authority’s rights of way team to see if this path is actually a registered public right of way. All county councils and unitary authorities must keep a definitive map, which is the legal record of public rights of way. If it’s on that map, then the locked gate is an obstruction and the highway authority should remove it. If not, then the highway authority is under no obligation to do anything. However, if you believe the path has been in public use for 20 years – without interruption – then you can apply to have it added to the definitive map as a right of way. Speak to the rights of way team about making an application. You’ll need to provide user evidence from several people confirming that they’ve used the path over the 20-year period. The Ramblers website has more info at: www.ramblers.org.uk/rights_of_way/take_action.
Q: Years ago I saw something advertised that could be strapped onto walking boots to make them grip better on icy surfaces. Do they still exist? Maggie Lowry
Minnie Burlton: They do indeed! Ellis Brigham (✆ 0844 372 1010, www.ellis-brigham.com) stock the Yaktrax at £14.99, which adds traction to your boots using metal chains. Petzl Charlet make an alternative device employing studs, called the Spiky; Tiso sell them for £25 ✆ 0141 552 6642, www.tiso.com). Neither should be used in mountainous terrain, where only proper crampons are suitable. Similarly, walking poles with metal – rather than rubber – tips can be useful to maintain balance and aid grip in icy conditions.
Q: I’ve never tackled a long-distance path before and I don’t drive a car. Which path would you recommend for a first-timer using public transport and how should I prepare? James Davison
Andrew McCloy: For an easy, scenic route use the seasonal Coasthopper bus to explore the Norfolk Coast Path; or try the hillier Calderdale Way in West Yorkshire via local trains and buses. But my top choice is the Thames Path National Trail, pioneered by the Ramblers and a wonderfully diverse riverside route from rural Gloucestershire to the heart of London. Its 294km/184 miles make for an easy fortnight of day-long walks, using trains, buses and even boats. Check out the new Thames Path Travel Planner at www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Thamespath for more information, or purchase The Thames Path Companion by Jos Joslin (£4.95, ISBN 9780956107404), which includes details of accommodation. Remember to get in shape beforehand with regular weekly walks, don’t be over-ambitious in your daily targets (no more than 22km/14 miles per day), and avoid carrying too much!
Q: As secretary of Retford Ramblers, I’m unsure which side of the road I should be recommending our group walks on when on country roads. The local council says if there are more than six walkers we should walk on the left, but the standard advice used to be to face oncoming traffic on the right side of the road, unless approaching a blind bend or other hazard. Which is correct? Judith Anson
Des de Moor: It was the last but one edition of the Highway Code that triggered all the confusion as it contained a blanket statement that organised groups should walk on the left if there was no footway. Our advice continued to be that this was inappropriate for typical Ramblers-led walks. We subsequently lobbied the Department for Transport and then suggested rewording the rule for the latest revision of the code. As a result, the rule has been modified. It doesn’t go as far as we’d like, but it now at least says ‘large groups of people walking together’ (www.direct.gov.uk/highwaycode, rule 5), rather than a blanket rule for all groups. Of course that does prompt the question of what constitutes a large group, and I’m sure the writers of the code intend some judgement here on behalf of those organising led walks. I believe that for all but the largest groups, the current advice we give – to walk on the right side of the road – is the best advice.
Send us your questions
Do you want an answer to a health, gear or legal question? Then write to us at walk, Ramblers, 2nd Floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW or email denise.noble@ramblers.org.uk with your name and address. Letters may be edited and may be included on this website. We are not able to acknowledge letters.
The writers of all letters published will win a HotRox Electronic Hand Warmer – the new way to stay warm. They’re rechargeable and can be turned on and off at the flick of a switch. HotRox hand warmers are the must-have accessory for everyone who enjoys the great outdoors. Visit www.thehotrox.co.uk.
