In it for the long haul! Long Distance Walkers' Association plotting to put Highlands on the map
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England's batting averages in the latest Ashes series don't hold a candle to a walking organisation that's been around for half a century.
It's an excellent innings for the Long Distance Walkers' Association, which has its roots in the Midlands, where it took to the crease in 1972, but grew into the 10,000-member body it is today.
There are groups covering the whole of England and Wales, with three in Scotland, incorporating territory from the Shetland Isles to the Borders.
As its name suggests, the LDWA, as it's more commonly known, caters principally for people who like to walk longer distances, though as chairman Julie Cribb stresses, it aims to be as inclusive as possible.
Julie, who lives in Lochardil, Inverness, is heavily involved in celebrations this year for the 50th anniversary.
“I started Project 50 when I was local groups officer, and that's been really my thing to drive through,” she says, though her role involves responsibility for many other aspects of the organisation.
The LDWA's website describes it as “the home of everything to do with walking long distances, whether that's on your own using our database of paths; being led on a social walk organised by one of our many groups; or as part of one of our more competitive style challenge events”.
In that regard, its flagship event is the 100-mile challenge, with walkers aiming to complete 100 miles in 48 hours. When 2024 rolls around, that event will be held in the Highlands, centred on Speyside.
But as Julie (67) explains, it's not all about mammoth walks. “We say that a social walk should be around 20 miles, but that depends on the terrain, the area and the time of year.
“Here in the Highlands, when it gets dark early in winter, the walk might only be between 12 and 15 miles.
“The walk lengths tend to build up. A lot of groups will put on 30-mile walks in March or April to train for the 100-mile event, which is always in May.
“But if you're in Norfolk and Suffolk, your 25-mile walk might take about the same time and effort as a 15-mile walk up here, because it's in the hills.
“So there isn't a single definition of what makes a long distance walk. Our social walks are very much about having a good day out, which might be a few hours in the hills or a longer trek on lower terrain.
“The other thing is that after the Covid lockdown a lot of people had lost some of their fitness, so we arranged walks of 10 miles and upwards to get people back out again.”
And if you have a sweet tooth, as well as a penchant for longer walks, there's another reason for joining the LDWA.
“Our events are not races, they're very social, to the extent that we are known as much for our cake as we are for our walks,” says Julie, who works in programme management for the University of the Highlands and Islands. “Speak to anyone who's done an LDWA event and they'll tell you the standard of checkpoint catering is second to none.”
As to the future, Julie – a wild swimmer as well as a walker, who is currently taking daily dips in Loch Ness – says: “We've got a 10-point plan to be more inclusive, encourage more people to come along and try us.
“We've also got quite a drive on at the moment for inclusion and diversity. That includes, for example, people who haven't got access to private transport, needing to use trains and buses. So we have some walks that start at a station and finish at a station or start in the city centre and do a circuit."
As to her own favourite walking areas, Julie says: “My great love is water, so walks that are at the coast, near lochs or by a river, preferably with waterfalls, would be my ideal walk.
“In terms of memorable walks, I enjoyed my 24-hour solo hike of the Great Glen Way. I did it on a very mild September weekend a few years ago, and there was quite a long section walking through the night.
“I loved the peace, the sounds and the smells. All the senses seem much sharper at night. It was also my only experience of hallucinating when I thought I was stepping through hundreds of frogs at around 3am in a forest section, which turned out to be wet leaves turning over in the gentle breeze!”
For more information about the LDWA, visit www.ldwa.org.uk
