Organise a group walk

Organising your own walk is a brilliant way to have fun with your friends, family and colleagues and is a great way to give your mental and physical health a boost

We’ll tell you all the key things you need to know to organise your walk, whether you’re planning a gentle stroll with a few friends or a more challenging march with your colleagues.

PREPARING FOR YOUR GROUP WALK

PLANNING A ROUTE

It's your event, so you can make it as challenging or relaxing as you want. Choose a route that suits you and your walkers, including as many stops or breaks as you need to have a great day out.

When planning a route there are several good resources you can make use of to find rights of way and well used routes.

Check out the following links:
When looking at locations for a walk, you will want to think about:

  • What costs might be involved, for example parking?
  • Will you need to gain permission for the walk if you are an organisation?
  • What facilities are available?
  • How accessible/challenging is the route?
  • What alternative routes are available?

scheduling your walk

Your March in March can take place at any time during the month to suit you, your friends and family or your work place. Once you've got an idea of a route, you'll need to pick a day and time to go and complete your March in March!

You'll also want to consider:

  • How busy the route might be
  • Date clashes with other major events
  • Weather forescast
  • Hours of daylight

Once you have a plan in place, start promoting your idea for a walk with your friends, family or colleagues! Get their feedback and then finalise your walk. 

check out some of our previous march in march group walks

UNUM

Every year UNUM organise a 10 mile walk for their staff from their headquarters to Combat Stress HQ at Tyrwhitt House in Leatherhead. Giving their staff time out to raise vital funds, conduct team building and focus on their mental health.

Are you part of an organisation wanting to get involved in March in March? Contact challenges@combatstress.org.uk.

Cadets

Over the years the cadets have raised an incredible £50,000 by taking part in March in March.  Detachments organised their own group walks and teams battled it out for the top spot on our fundraising leaderboard.

Interested in getting your detachment, school or community group involved? Set up a team today and help make a difference to veteran's mental health.

Combat Stress

Here at Combat Stress we love March in March! Our teams across the country organise several staff walks. It's a perfect team bonding experience and great for staff morale. 

We love seeing all the different people getting involved and how they decide to take on their March in March. So grab your friends, family or colleagues and join in the fun!

HOW TO ORGANISE A WALK

Risk Assessments

When taking people on a walk as an individual or organisation, it's important to think about your role in doing so and undertake a risk assessment to make sure that you have taken any risks into account.

Excellent guidance is available from Ramblers UK on how to stay safe whilst organising a walk, as well as a risk assessment template.

Be PREPARED

  • Make sure you have packed everything you need for the walk - first aid kit, fully charged mobile phone, food, drink and a copy of the route.
  • Dress for the weather and expect it to change - weather forecasts can be unreliable and change rapidly, make sure you have options with you in the chance of unexpected bad weather.
  • Don't be afraid to change plans or call off part of the walk if weather conditions deteriorate. If you feel the walk could be, or has, become unsafe, postpone it and seek shelter.
  • Stay connected with an emergency contact who is not taking part in the event. If you do not return back safely they should know to raise alarm.
  • Register your walkers with March in March and keep a note of who attends on the day.
  • Think about where you are going to stop for lunch or dinner, and make sure that you have enough food and drink for the duration of your walk.
  • If your walk is over a few days, make sure you have your overnight accommodation sorted in advance. The last thing you want is to arrive somewhere after a long day’s walk with nowhere to rest.
  • Always leave your full itinerary or walk plan and contact details with a friend or family member.
  • Have you read the countryside code? It’s worth checking it out.
  • It is advisable to take out a public liability insurance policy to protect yourself against anyone alleging that you were negligent in your organising of the walk if a third party suffers an injury or if their property is damaged

Get Involved

Have you registered your group walk as taking part in March in March? If not, get started by registering online and creating a team.