Islington
LONGER WALKS
 The
Longer Walks group has a programme of walks normally
of between 8 to 14 miles, usually with options to
shorten the walk. Walks are over a full day with a
break for lunch (usually in a pub or café, although
sometimes people bring a picnic). Group size is
typically between 6 and 12 people. |
| When Normally there are four walks a
month, on varying days of the week so as to avoid
always clashing with the same iU3A groups that meet
on fixed days.
|
| Where We go to any good walking area in
Greater London and the South East that can be
reached relatively easily by public transport. Our
walks cover a variety of terrain, including park and
woodland, canal or riverside paths, open countryside
and hill walking. Most walks are suitable for anyone
who is reasonably fit and active.
|
Main
Walking Groups
Choice of walking groups:
Background
The Long Walks group is wonderfully balanced; some join walks regularly, others less frequently. To help the leader in their duty of care and to ensure safety we have a few rules. In summary the rule is 'respect others and stick together' but see the fuller version here.
To join the group, please either drop me an email (address as above) or register through Beacon. Having joined the group, to join a particular walk click on the relevant walk 'sign up' link below. If you are not a member of Islington U3A then you must firstly join this before joining any Group. Go to the Join Us page and there click on the Membership Form.
Our Next Walks
Choice of walking groups:
- Leisurely: up to 3 miles at a leisurely pace taking 2 to 3 hours, one a month
- Amblers: up to 5 miles at a reasonably steady pace, usually twice a month
- Shorter: between 5 to 7 miles usually at a moderate to brisk pace, three times a month
- Longer: between 8 to 14 miles at a reasonably fast pace, once a week.
Background
The Long Walks group is wonderfully balanced; some join walks regularly, others less frequently. To help the leader in their duty of care and to ensure safety we have a few rules. In summary the rule is 'respect others and stick together' but see the fuller version here.
To join the group, please either drop me an email (address as above) or register through Beacon. Having joined the group, to join a particular walk click on the relevant walk 'sign up' link below. If you are not a member of Islington U3A then you must firstly join this before joining any Group. Go to the Join Us page and there click on the Membership Form.
Our Next Walks
Walks Coming Up
See below for our programme of walks in 2024. We tend to fix the dates a quarter at a time. We'll make available the full walk details (including the meeting point) on this webpage about a week before each walk. Once sign-up is open please click individually on 'sign-up open' (in blue) for each walk you plan to join. To drop out of a walk, please return to the form, and enter your details again but with a 'No' instead of a 'Yes'.
Please note: the Walk Details provided by the Walk Leaders are provided as 'best endeavours' but cannot be guaranteed to be 100% accurate. Members should check travel times and costs themselves.
Thursday 10 October (KM) Staines to Windsor (sign-up open): a 10 mile linear walk. From the station we will join the Thames Path then cross to the south bank and continue along the river for about 2½ miles. We enter the National Trust’s Runnymede estate and up the hill to the Magna Carta and John F Kennedy memorials. We will return to the Thames Path and continue to Old Windsor for our lunch stop. Afterwards we proceed through Windsor Great Park and its Long Walk to the gates of Windsor Castle itself and onward to the station. Drop-out possible after 5 miles by regular bus service. Details here.
Wednesday 16 October (RI) Great Missenden to Amersham: 10 miles, lovely Chilterns countryside, beech woods, interesting churches and villages. Details to follow.
Tuesday 22 (BR): details to follow
Monday 28 October (DL), Harpenden to St Albans: details to follow
Lookahead provisional schedule (* = where a walk leader is required):
November: Friday 08 (KM), Thursday 14 (DH), Wednesday 20 (PR), Tuesday 26 (SH): St Margaret's
December: Monday 2 (KM), Friday 13 (DH)
January: Friday 3 (*), Thursday 9 (*), Wednesday 15 (*), Tuesday 21 (DH), Monday 27 (*)
Our 500th walk will be on Tuesday 21 January
Extended Walking Weekend, Malhamdale, 26 September 2025 (sign-up open): yes 2025. Get it in your diary now. Southern Yorkshire Dales 3 Nights, 4 days. PRELIMINARY details here.
Useful and Other Information
Travel link — if you are going on a walk outside the Freedom Pass areas, here is a link to help decide which station to buy your ticket from online: Freedom Pass Map. If you need to figure out what train line we are going on then this overall map can help: Rail Map.
Ticks — there have been reports of increased population of ticks in the UK. If you are worried about catching a tick bite while out walking, for more information see here.
Jo-Anne has provided three useful walk guides. You can view them here:
u3a has formed a partnership with 'Slow Ways' and hence we have also signed up for this initiative. The Slow Ways initiative is trying to get more people walking, and walking for more purposes. They are creating a network of walks joining up all villages, towns, cities. They aim then to get all these 'ways' reviewed so that full route information is available through their websites. And that's where we come in. They hope that u3as will help complete these reviews (and surveys). We hope as a group to check out some of these Slow Ways and you can do this as individuals as well. For more information see their website here.
Walks Register: if you want to look up any of our previous walks you can view our main Register here. Quote the walk number to Derek and he can send you the relevant Walk Details sheet.
Leader Responsibilities: see the following guidelines for reference here.
Recent Walks
Further walk reports will not be created.
River Cam to Grantchester: this was a 7½ mile circular walk, in an area we don't often visit. Details here.
Church Stretton, Extended Walking Weekend: weekend's report here. Details here.
Past Walks
Islington u3a is now over ten years old. Here are our archive walk reports:
For Walk Reports October 2023 - September 2024: look here.
For Walk Reports October 2022 - Sept 2023: look here.
To see details of our ninth year (October 2021 - Sept 2022) look here
To see details of our eighth year (October 2020 - Sept 2021) look here.
To see details of our seventh year (October 2019 - Sept 2020) look here.
To see details of our sixth year (October 2018 - Sept 2019) look here.
To see details of our fifth year (October 2017 - Sept 2018) look here.
To see the details for walks in the previous year (Oct 2016 - Sept 2017) look here.
If you want to see details of the walks we completed in our third year (Oct 2015 - Sept 2016) then look here.
See below for our programme of walks in 2024. We tend to fix the dates a quarter at a time. We'll make available the full walk details (including the meeting point) on this webpage about a week before each walk. Once sign-up is open please click individually on 'sign-up open' (in blue) for each walk you plan to join. To drop out of a walk, please return to the form, and enter your details again but with a 'No' instead of a 'Yes'.
Please note: the Walk Details provided by the Walk Leaders are provided as 'best endeavours' but cannot be guaranteed to be 100% accurate. Members should check travel times and costs themselves.
Thursday 10 October (KM) Staines to Windsor (sign-up open): a 10 mile linear walk. From the station we will join the Thames Path then cross to the south bank and continue along the river for about 2½ miles. We enter the National Trust’s Runnymede estate and up the hill to the Magna Carta and John F Kennedy memorials. We will return to the Thames Path and continue to Old Windsor for our lunch stop. Afterwards we proceed through Windsor Great Park and its Long Walk to the gates of Windsor Castle itself and onward to the station. Drop-out possible after 5 miles by regular bus service. Details here.
Wednesday 16 October (RI) Great Missenden to Amersham: 10 miles, lovely Chilterns countryside, beech woods, interesting churches and villages. Details to follow.
Tuesday 22 (BR): details to follow
Monday 28 October (DL), Harpenden to St Albans: details to follow
Lookahead provisional schedule (* = where a walk leader is required):
November: Friday 08 (KM), Thursday 14 (DH), Wednesday 20 (PR), Tuesday 26 (SH): St Margaret's
December: Monday 2 (KM), Friday 13 (DH)
January: Friday 3 (*), Thursday 9 (*), Wednesday 15 (*), Tuesday 21 (DH), Monday 27 (*)
Our 500th walk will be on Tuesday 21 January
Extended Walking Weekend, Malhamdale, 26 September 2025 (sign-up open): yes 2025. Get it in your diary now. Southern Yorkshire Dales 3 Nights, 4 days. PRELIMINARY details here.
Useful and Other Information
Travel link — if you are going on a walk outside the Freedom Pass areas, here is a link to help decide which station to buy your ticket from online: Freedom Pass Map. If you need to figure out what train line we are going on then this overall map can help: Rail Map.
Ticks — there have been reports of increased population of ticks in the UK. If you are worried about catching a tick bite while out walking, for more information see here.
Jo-Anne has provided three useful walk guides. You can view them here:
u3a has formed a partnership with 'Slow Ways' and hence we have also signed up for this initiative. The Slow Ways initiative is trying to get more people walking, and walking for more purposes. They are creating a network of walks joining up all villages, towns, cities. They aim then to get all these 'ways' reviewed so that full route information is available through their websites. And that's where we come in. They hope that u3as will help complete these reviews (and surveys). We hope as a group to check out some of these Slow Ways and you can do this as individuals as well. For more information see their website here.
Walks Register: if you want to look up any of our previous walks you can view our main Register here. Quote the walk number to Derek and he can send you the relevant Walk Details sheet.
Leader Responsibilities: see the following guidelines for reference here.
Recent Walks
Further walk reports will not be created.
River Cam to Grantchester: this was a 7½ mile circular walk, in an area we don't often visit. Details here.
Church Stretton, Extended Walking Weekend: weekend's report here. Details here.
Past Walks
Islington u3a is now over ten years old. Here are our archive walk reports:
For Walk Reports October 2023 - September 2024: look here.
For Walk Reports October 2022 - Sept 2023: look here.
To see details of our ninth year (October 2021 - Sept 2022) look here
To see details of our eighth year (October 2020 - Sept 2021) look here.
To see details of our seventh year (October 2019 - Sept 2020) look here.
To see details of our sixth year (October 2018 - Sept 2019) look here.
To see details of our fifth year (October 2017 - Sept 2018) look here.
To see the details for walks in the previous year (Oct 2016 - Sept 2017) look here.
If you want to see details of the walks we completed in our third year (Oct 2015 - Sept 2016) then look here.
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