Poles and equipment

Poles and Equipment: Nordic Walking Poles are special.

Please contact us before you buy poles, so that you get the size and type right.

You need dedicated Nordic Walking poles with the typical gloves/sleeves. These will enable the 'push-back' motions that give you a full-body workout. Trekking or Walking poles (with ribbons) can't be used for this sportive way of walking.
You can borrow poles for the course and your first few walks. After a while, you will need to buy your own poles to join the group. Andrea will point you in the right direction; good poles are usually between about £40-120, and the difference is usually in the carbon content; carbon poles vibrate less than aluminium poles.

Eugene enjoys his new sportive poles: The excellent Gabel X5 with a Carbon content of 85%. The higher the carbon content, the better the pole. We can give you advice on what to choose based on your walking style and frequency.

Why is it so important to use the right Nordic Walking Poles?

Nordic walking is a full body workout and has many well-documented health benefits. To get the full benefits, you need a good technique and the right poles. Nordic Walking is the summer version of cross-country skiing, and hence different from walking with trekking sticks. You don't place the pole-tips in front of you, but behind your back to propel yourself forward while relaxing your grip.
Poles with ribbons instead of gloves, and poles that are too heavy won't enable you to use this technique. Some cheap Nordic walking poles do indeed have 'gloves', but the gloves do not sit anatomically correct. For example, the gloves are too far away from the pole, or they just do not fit well around your hand. These poles will exhaust you without giving you the right push-back, and possibly damage your wrists and elbow joints if you walk a lot.

What else you may need

Trainers or running/walking shoes (no hiking boots with hard soles, you need to be able to roll your feet).
Appropriate outdoor clothing (rain and sun protection, thin gloves in winter).
Some walkers like to bring a small backpack - shoulder bags won't work.

NOTE: You do not need any specially labelled clothes that say "Nordic Walking socks" or similar. These are just expensive, but usually do not add much value. Just use good outdoor clothing as described above.

Covid 19 safety

We have Covid-19 measures in place to keep our rental poles clean and safe. The gloves are cleaned after each use and the pole is then put aside for a week.