About the walks

We welcome prospective members to come on a trial walk with us. 

Before deciding which walk would suit you, please read the information below.

Once you have come to a decision, go to the Calendar to see what walks are upcoming.

What you need to bring

For a normal Sunday walk the minimum you need is:-

 





Fitness

The Club organises walks for a range of abilities but bear in mind most of the members walk quite often and are used to it.  Also uneven paths, thick vegetation and hills make walking a lot harder than it is on a good flat path.


It is preferable to start off with a walk that you find easy and be pleasantly surprised than to struggle round all day.


If you are free in the week then the Wednesday or Stroller walks are a good place to start.

If in doubt which of the walks would suit you, feel free to contact the appropriate Programme Secretary.

About Sunday walks

Walks start at 9.30 am or 10.00 am and finish around 5.00 pm although this depends on the length of the walk, conditions on the day and the speed of the group so it is variable. There is usually a short al fresco coffee stop in the morning and, where appropriate, another in the afternoon.  


The lunch break is longer, up to an hour.  The venue is shown on the programme and there is often a pub for those who wish to use it.  


Most walks use private transport and are therefore circular. The programme gives the location, grid reference and what3words address for the start point for the walk.  Walks leave promptly so aim to arrive about 15 mins early to allow time to find parking space, put on your boots etc. Any car sharing is on an informal basis.


Easy walks tend to be shorter and/or flatter and generally at a slower pace.  Harder walks are longer and/or more hilly, may involve walking over difficult ground and generally go at a faster pace. The grading, i.e. Easy to Hard, is subjective.


Similarly mileage is difficult to measure accurately and the walk may be a little longer or shorter than advertised, or it may have to be diverted due to unforeseen circumstances.


If in doubt look at the route on the OS map beforehand and use your judgment or contact the Sunday Programme Secretary.


The walk leaders are volunteers.  It is the duty of all walkers to ensure that they are suitably equipped and fit for the walk in question.  Leaders may ask a walker not to participate if they judge they are unsuitably dressed or otherwise not capable of doing the walk.


In the unlikely event of accident or injury we will make every effort to see you home safely.  To this end if you are a prospective member or new to the Club we suggest you provide the walk leader on the day with your full name and address, details of someone we can contact in an emergency and any relevant health details. A handwritten sheet of paper is fine. 

Wednesday walks

The Wednesday walks are organised on a less formal basis on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Please contact the Wednesday Programme Secretary  for details.


The walks are approximately six miles long, usually within ten miles of Derby. We sometimes start from a pub and if you wish you can go there for lunch after the walk.


Experienced walkers can skip this but if you are relatively new to rambling you really do need to read the information sections What to bring and Fitness.

Stroller walks

Walks start at 10.00 am and finish around lunchtime although this depends on the length of the walk, conditions on the day and the speed of the group.

There is usually a short al fresco coffee stop.


Most walks use private transport and are therefore circular.  The Calendar gives the location, and grid reference and what3words address for the start point for the walk.  Walks leave promptly so aim to arrive about 15 mins early to allow time to find parking space, put on your boots etc. Any car sharing is on an informal basis.


Stroller walks tend to be shorter and/or flatter and generally at a slower pace than Wednesday walks.

Navigation

The walk leader will navigate the route, so in theory you do not need to be able to read a map for a normal Club walk in the Peak District.  However it is a good idea to learn how to map read and even how to use a compass.  It is a skill that will add considerably to your ability to enjoy the countryside. Members will be happy to help you.  As a start, here is a useful link


https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/resources/map-reading.


For a very few of the hardest walks and weekends away an ability to use a map and compass may be a prerequisite but this will be made clear beforehand.

What you can expect

Weekends away

The Club aims to organise a few weekends away each year.  The accommodation varies depending on the venue and type of walking and ranges from simple YHA or private huts to hotels.  Likewise the walks may vary from simple to challenging.     

Emergency Contact details

On joining Derby Nomads all members receive a member’s pack which includes a plastic wallet with a slip of paper on which to record any medical conditions and emergency contact details. This should be carried in your rucksack so that it can be accessed should there be a need. If you are unable to find this please contact the Membership Secretary for a further copy.


In the unlikely event that there is an emergency on any of our walks we will do whatever we can to manage the situation and call the Emergency Services if required. We will stay with you and will make appropriate arrangements to get you back home.

 

The Club maintains a list of emergency contacts so that we can inform the members designated person that there has been an incident once we are able to explain what has happened. Our priority must be to get the essential help.

 

The list of emergency contacts is given to committee members only and not to the full membership. The information is sensitive and must be treated with respect. GDPR makes it inappropriate to circulate the information to all members. The telephone numbers for committee members are included on the Attendance Form should you be on a walk without a committee member present. 


It is important that we maintain an up-to-date list of contacts. Should there be any change to your own details, please let the Membership Secretary know here.

Walk ideas for new leaders

If you are planning to lead a walk for the first time, you can visit the Walk in Derbyshire website. This site has numerous existing walks should you require some inspiration. You can download route maps and GPX files to your phone or mobile device.

To create your own walk, you can visit Plotaroute.com, open an account and use the simple online tools to generate a route. Again, route maps and GPX files can be downloaded.