Guidelines
Leader's Role
A summary of these guidelines can be downloaded.
Leaders will be picked from competent club members. Club policy is
to encourage Members to want to lead walks, with positive support from
other senior club members if wanted or required.
The leader of a walk has the responsibility of ensure that the group
has an enjoyable and safe day out. If you are leading a walk then there
are things you need to do.
- Usually, you will have been selected as leader well in advance
of a walk. Use that time to prepare yourself on matters concerning
their walk e.g. the nature of the terrain, items of interest along
the route, speed of group and to pre-plan escape routes for use in
an emergency.
- Ensure that the party has the necessary group equipment with
them, e.g. GPS, KSU's, Cas-straps, first-aid etc. You don't have to
carry all of these personally but they need to be available to you
should things go wrong.
- If you have a mobile phone, ensure that is charged up and
switched on. You never know when one of the other groups may need
to call you for assistance or to warn you of problems on your route
ahead.
- Pick a "sweeper" to bring up the rear of the party before walk
starts. This is particularly important if the party is large.
- Leaders, in particular, will encourage Members to look at and
to use their maps and compasses. This not only helps breed new
leaders but also improves the ability of the whole group to deal
with unforeseen circumstances.
- As the leader, you need to be in contact with all members of
your group at all times i.e. look to the tail and to the front for
tearaways to keep your group as a group.
- If you find many "fast lasses" (or "lads"), You MAY decide it
is in the best interests of the rest of the group to have a
breakaway group. You must ensure that the breakaway group conforms
to the minimum group size, has map, compass and essential safety
kit with them, that they are made aware that their safety is to
become their own responsibility and that the return time to the bus
will be the same as that for the rest of the walkers.
- If you have any walkers in the group who are having difficulty
while the walk is in progress, you MAY decide to split the group as
above, to slow down or even stop the main group. It is the YOUR
decision, in consultation with the group. Safety for ALL members of
a group is paramount consideration. Contact with other groups to
pass on such information, e.g. by phone checks, where possible,
becomes vital. You may be able to transfer walkers to other groups
or you may need to exercise an escape route.
- As the leader, keep walks to the published distances, time of
arrival back at the bus and the route agreed before the walk
commences. This is a safety requirement. If anything happens on
your walk then you will be more easily found if you are where you
are supposed to be. Also one of the other walks may need to contact
you if they have problem which will be problematic if you aren't
where you should be.
- Ensure that the group returns to the coach, where possible, no
later than the appointed finishing time. Walks should be timed to
arrive back at the bus AT the appointed time. It is frustrating for
others if your group is very late OR VERY EARLY in its return.