Assessing the risks
Since May 2024, a written risk assessment for each walk is no longer required as Ramblers have adopted a new “dynamic risk assessment” approach.
You should familiarise yourself with the relevant risk assessment template provided by Ramblers – the Leisurely/Moderate one is appropriate for almost all BW walks, as even our “challenging” local walks don’t generally reach the Ramblers “strenuous” grade. (The only exception tends to be on trips away to remote/mountainous regions.)
Consider what risks and steps to manage them are applicable to your walk. Although a written record is not required, you might wish to make a note of any additional/unusual risks on your route. It’s a good idea to think about this soon after the recce, when anything you noticed is fresh in your mind, but be prepared to adapt your plans either before or during the walk if necessary (e.g. due to a severe weather warning, or events on the day).
This is not intended to be an onerous process or something you’re expected to take a lot of time over, however – if it takes you more than 5–10 minutes then you’re almost certainly overthinking it.
Postponements/Cancellations
Occasionally it is necessary to postpone or cancel a walk for unforeseen reasons (e.g. walk leader illness, severe weather or transport disruption). However, we try to keep such occasions to a minimum to avoid disappointment and give people confidence that the walks on our programme will go ahead. In particular, we don’t normally cancel for “normal” bad weather conditions like rain, only those which might make the walk or travelling to/from it unsafe (an amber warning from the Met Office being the usual threshold).
Please understand therefore that in submitting a walk you are making a firm commitment to actually lead it on the day, unless genuinely unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances prevent it. In the case of walk leader illness, family emergency etc., it may be possible for someone else to step in to lead, or in case of a train strike or engineering works it may be possible to substitute a different route (either by the same or a different leader).
If any reason arises which means that you may be unable to lead your walk, please discuss this with the Walks Coordinator as far ahead as possible. Last-minute cancellations on the day should only be made in exceptional circumstances, and please inform the Walks Coordinator or another committee member immediately if this is necessary (e.g. due to sudden illness, vehicle breakdown or cancelled train services).
In the event of less severe transport disruption, it’s usual simply to delay the start of the walk to wait for the services on which people were expected to to travel (or the next service if these are cancelled or a connection is missed). If the delay is substantial, please inform the Walks Coordinator so that the website and Meetup listings can be updated.
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