General Information
If you would like to join us on one of our walks, you will always find a warm welcome with Biggar Ramblers. Details of our walks can be found under the 'Walks Programme' tab. Here you will find all the information you need to decide if it is the sort of walk that you would like to come on, and that it is within your capability. Every walk is graded (see the 'Walk Grades' tab for details), but this is only given as a rough guide, and if you have any doubts, you should contact the walk leader for further information.
What to wear and bring
Always bring warm and waterproof clothing - in your rucksack if not wearing. Don't wear jeans, they wet quickly, and dry slowly! Walking poles are helpful on rough ground, and gaiters give protection if there is likely to be any undergrowth. Strong footwear must be worn on all walks, for details, see under 'Walk Grades'.
Always bring water and snacks, and if a day walk, a packed lunch. Especially when walking in cold weather, a hot drink is recommended.
Safety
All our walks are led by experienced walk leaders who carefully carry out a prior risk assessment of walks to ensure that they are safe for all. However, as with any outdoor activity there are inherent risks associated with walking whether on gentle paths or on hill tops. All walkers are responsible for their own safety and are required to take reasonable steps to ensure their own and fellow walkers' safety whilst on a walk. At the start of every walk the leader will ask for emergency contact details. In addition, walkers should ask the leader for a Ramblers 'In case of emergency card'. This shows personal contact details, and an emergency contact. Any medical conditions or medication can also be listed. These cards should be carried on all walks.
Anyone with a health condition must inform the leader so that appropriate treatment may be given quickly if required.
No walker under the age of 18 will be allowed to participate without an accompanying responsible adult
In the interest of safety, the leader may refuse to lead anyone they consider to be ill prepared for that particular walk.
First Aid
It is recommended that all walkers bring a small first aid kit with them. A list of items that we suggest should be in your kit can be found by clicking on the link below.
Ticks and Lyme Disease
If walking in wooded areas or through grass and heather it is quite possible to be bitten by a tick. Usually this is not a problem, but some ticks carry Lyme Disease which is a bacterial infection that they pass on to humans.
To minimise the risk of picking up a tick, it is suggested that you either tuck your trousers into your socks or wear gaiters. You rarely feel a tick bite you, so check carefully after your walk.
If you do find a tick, use fine tweezers or a special tick removal tool, pulling the tick out from as close to your skin as possible (see image below) so that the whole body is removed intact. Afterwards, apply antiseptic cream to the bite spot.
If, after a few days, you start to feel ill or see an orange rash or ring developing where the tick bit you (examples in the images below), go to your doctor straight away. If Lyme disease is confirmed, you will be given a course of antibiotics.
Images published as public information licensed under the Open Government Licence V3.0
Photography
Members love to take and share photographs while out on their walks, and many of these are posted on our Rambler's private Facebook page. However, it should be noted that sometimes these are used to illustrate reports sent to the local press, and occasionally, further afield. So if anyone has copyright concerns, they should make this known to the walk leader.
Also, it may be that some walkers don't wish to appear in other members' photographs. If this is the case, they should inform the walk leader and ensure that they are not in the camera's field of view when photographs are being taken.
Dogs
Regrettably dogs are not permitted on any organised ramble, with the exception of guide dogs.
Lift sharing
Parking at the start of a walk is often limited, and so lift sharing from the Corn Exchange is encouraged. Drivers are asked to accept a payment of 12 pence per mile from passengers to cover their costs.