Nicola

Three years after moving to the village of St Mary’s Platt in Tonbridge and Malling, I was in the happy position of being able to reduce my working hours. I thought I would either dust down my golf clubs which had resided in a shed for ten years or I would take up rambling. How glad I am that I chose the latter!

I did two trial walks before signing up as a member of Ramblers. Initially, I wanted to get to know the area better and meet local people. Those benefits soon materialised but, what I didn’t bargain for was the unexpected ‘bonus benefits’. The conversations on walks have been many and varied and I am always learning something new from fellow walkers. I try to keep Sunday mornings free for walking and, when time allows, I manage an occasional mid-week walk too.

Gradually I am gaining experience in leading walks even though when I first joined Ramblers, I was one of those people who can only follow a map when going north! I was quite nervous on my first walk leader day – especially when 23 people turned up. Since then, I’ve really enjoyed planning walks using a GPS/Ordnance Survey map app. I feel I’ve gained a valuable new skill which I can use beyond Ramblers - for walks with friends and when on holiday. I’ve completed the Ramblers online walk leader short course and hope to do a live one-day course soon.

When our group needed a new Parish Footpath Observer for St Mary’s Platt, I offered to give it a go. This involves checking every public footpath in the parish once or twice a year and reporting any issues. When I joined Ramblers, I could not have identified any of the local paths and now I take pride in knowing them quite well.

In a short time, Ramblers has become an important part of my life – all thanks to the friendly welcome I received from the Tonbridge and Malling group.