Nordic Walking group schedule

Group Walks (West London)

Join us for a guided walk through nature - with a nice group of people. There are different levels of walks - see below. What you can expect on a walk:

Warm-up and cool-down exercises
Feedback, tips and exercises to improve your technique and get more out of your walk
Speed drills (only on dynamic walks)

Please note
Before you join our walks you need to take our Foundation Course (or a similar tuition course of the British Nordic Walking Association). This ensures that you use your poles in the right way and can turn your walk into a full body workout. It also prevents you from building bad habits or damaging your joints.

Group Walk Schedule

Please sign up before you come on a walk - the walks are not guaranteed if we don't hear from you.

Email: vitalityleap@gmail.com, phone/text: 07766 464623, or join our Whatsapp group.
Further dates will be scheduled soon.

Tuesdays

Dates:

January: 7, 14, 21, 28
February: 11, 18, 25

March: 3, 10, 17, 31

9.30-10.30am: Active
Meet Golf Club Parking (Brent Valley)

11.00-12pm: Gentle
Meet Golf Club Parking (Brent Valley)

Saturdays

Dates:

January: 18 (9.30am), 25 (1.30pm)
February: 1 (9.30am), 22 (1.30pm), 29 (9.30am)
March: 7 (9.30am), 14 (1.30pm),

Horsenden Hill Walk (1.5 hours, Dynamic walk)
Start times see above
Meet Horsenden Farm Park, Perivale

Sundays

Dates:
January: 5, 12, 19, 26
February: 2, 16, 23
March: 1, 8, 15, 22,

10.00-11.00am: Active
Meet Golf Club Parking (Brent Valley)

11.30-12.30 Gentle
Meet Golf Club Parking (Brent Valley)

Description of our walks: Something for everybody

Active Walks - 1 hour
Brent Valley

Spend some time outdoors and get fit in a fun and sociable way. We will choose the route/distance to cater for different ability levels in the group and add some extra loops or challenges for more advanced walkers. We will do some technical drills as needed and walkers may receive some individualised feedback if they are interested in technical improvement.

Target group:
These walks are for people who have a fitness interest and enjoy a mix of fast-paced walking and more leisurely walking.

Prerequisites:
Foundation course is required. You must be able to join our warm-up and cool-down exercises and walk at a good, steady speed for one hour (without a break) - sometimes on uneven, rough and slippery ground. If in doubt, please talk to us about your skill and fitness level.

No need to sign up for these walks, just come along (if you have done the Foundation course).

Dynamic Walks - 1.5 hours
Horsenden Hill

These walks are faster paced than the Active walks and contain some uphill/downhill walking. There will be some speed and agility drills. As with all of our walks; the goal is to have fun, but we also intend to achieve an intense whole body workout.
On each of these walks, we will go up to the top of Horsenden Hill (82m) once or twice, and then do some dynamic speed walking in the flatter parts.
This 1.5 hour walk has a different price schedule (£10 with own poles, £12 with pole hire) For the moment, there is no discount scheme.

Target group:
People who use their Nordic Walking as a workout and want to gain fast results. Ideal to build up for the skiing season or supplement gym work. You may not be able to have a leisurely chat on these walks, but there is plenty of time to socialise before/after in the lovely Horsenden Farm area...

Prerequisites:
Foundation course is required, as well as good fitness and solid, safe Nordic walking technique. You must be able to hold a fast speed and go uphill/downhill on slippery slopes. You need to feel safe on steep, rough paths to join these walks.
lf in doubt, please talk to us about your skill and fitness level.

Please sign up for every Dynamic walk!

Gentle walks - 1 hour
Brent Valley

These are relaxing walks at a moderate speed, which still improve your fitness and agility. In the warm-up and cool-down phase, we will do some exercises that help with flexibility and strength. You also receive some ideas on how to improve your walking technique, but there are no speed-drills.

Target group:
Ideal for you if you would like to relax and enjoy nature and the company of others on your walk, build up your fitness level and technique, overcome health issues or bring your baby along (rucksack-carriers only).

Prerequisites:
You have to be able to walk safely, without the risk of falling over, and you have to be able to swing your arms.
We recommend that you complete our Foundation course before you join these walks, but you can come on a few walks before taking the course.

Please sign up for each Gentle walk.

Mini Walks - 30 min
Brent Valley

These are 'Gentle walks' that only last 30 minutes. We will walk along safe, paved paths and there are some benches nearby.

Target group:
If you would like to build up your fitness levels slowly, recover from an injury or surgery, or just enjoy a shorter, gentle walk this is for you.

Prerequisites:
You have to be able to walk safely, without the risk of falling over, and you have to be able to swing your arms.
You don't have to take the Foundation course to join these walks; you will receive basic instructions to get started during the walk. Once you feel fit enough, we recommend that you take the Foundation course and join the other walks.
Currently, there are no Mini walks scheduled, please inquire if you are interested

More Information

Medical readiness for Nordic walking:
Nordic walking has many health benefits and is appropriate for most people. As a minimal requirement for joining our walks and courses, you have to be able to walk safely, with no risk of falling over. And you have to be able to swing your arms.
Before joining, you will have to fill in a 'Physical activity readiness questionnaire', which contains some medical questions. If you have any doubts about your medical readiness to join Nordic walking, please talk to your GP first.

Location:
Brent Valley, Hanwell, and Horsenden Hill, Perivale: Maps are here.

For 2-hour courses: Meet Studland Road/High Lane (free street parking)
For 1-hour courses (twice one hour) and for Active, Gentle and Mini walks: Meet Brent Valley Golf Club (free parking; 2 hours limit unless you use the restaurant).
For Dynamic Walk: meet at Horsenden Farm , Perivale (free parking).

Costs:

All 1-hour walks: £8 with your own poles, £10 with pole hire
Mini walks (30 min): £6 (pole hire included)

Discount Scheme: If you pay in advance, you can buy six of the walks above for the price of five (BAC or cash, valid one year).

Horsenden Hill walks (1.5 hours): £10 with your own poles, £12 with pole hire. No Discount Scheme at the moment.

Equipment:

You do not need any special equipment; just comfortable walking clothes and trainers / walking shoes (no hiking boots with hard soles).
Rain gear, sun protection, bug spray as needed.
If you have 'poles', make sure they are Nordic Walking poles, not Trekking or Walking poles (Nordic walking poles are rather light and have "gloves" for your hands, not just ribbons). There is no point in joining our walks with Trekking poles as they do not support the Nordic style of walking (push back into the glove/sleeve).

Children:
Many children enjoy Nordic walking from the age of about 10. We do not offer special children's courses, but interested kids with an adult guardian may join our regular walks/courses (half price to the age of 16). If you join with children, you have to sign up for every walk, so that we can get appropriate poles ready, and sign a parental consent form.
For our Gentle and Mini walks, you may bring a baby in an appropriate carrier/rucksack (you have to be able to swing your arms).

Dogs:
No dogs allowed on our walks/courses (we love dogs, but there are just too many dog walkers on our suburban trails; it would be too distracting to keep your eye on your dog).

More info/directions:

You will get more information/directions once you sign up.

Fine-tuning your technique while walking

On our walks, you will receive feedback to improve your technique (if you like). Here are some examples of some 'best mistakes'. Thank you, Caroline, for helping us demonstrate (she would not make these mistakes, of course...) !