Members' mailbag
A place to share your thoughts and ask our panel for expert advice
Your views
Have your say and you could win a great prize!
Nurture a love of nature
I fully support the Ramblers’ call for an Access to Nature Bill (New UK Government, New Opportunities, autumn, p16) and vouch for the importance of enabling people to walk in nature. Reading this article took me back to the importance of parks in our cities and towns, and the need for them to be maintained in these days of severe cutbacks. For my first nine years, I lived in a street of terraced houses (a bit like Coronation Street) in Manchester in the 1960s. We had no garden, just a backyard, but we did have two parks within walking distance, with a play area for children, wonderful rose gardens and lawns, and a recreation ground where we could play football. My inner-city school also took us to a field centre near Heaton Park for a week when I was eight, where we explored the fields, learned about wildflowers and grasses, and made a simple wooden toy boat each. This early access to nearby parks and my school having the funding for the Heaton Park trip were a foundation for my love of nature.
As well as supporting the Access to Nature Bill, we all need to ensure parks and recreational spaces are still there to be enjoyed, and that schools have the means to give children who live in areas with no green open spaces the chance to experience them. Hopefully, they will then start their own lifelong pleasure in nature and the countryside.
Pat Borland, Cumbria
Transport tip
walk magazine often describes linear routes with a recommendation to complete the walk and take a bus back. I met some rambling acquaintances in the Peak District at the end of their walk. They had missed the last bus from their location back to Sheffield. I never found out how they got home! Wouldn’t it be better to recommend that walkers use the public transport section of their journey first?
John Laskey, Leicestershire
Walk this Way
I enjoyed reading the article in the latest issue about the English Camino (The Big Walk, autumn, p56). I’m recovering from a hip operation and, while it’ll take a while to get fit enough to consider the Camino de Santiago, the English Camino might just be something I could be ready for much sooner. Here’s to enjoying the outdoors again!
Eva, Sutton Coldfield
Re: the English Camino/St James’ Way pilgrimage route, other pilgrimages are of course available – including the Whithorn Way between Glasgow and the historic burgh of Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway, site of the earliest Christian settlement in Scotland. This short video gives a taster of the 250km/155-mile route.
Alan S, Ayrshire
Got something to say?
Tell us on Instagram, Facebook or X using #RamblersMyView, email us at walkmag@ramblers.org.uk or write to us at 13 Dirty Lane, London SE1 9PA. Letters may be shortened for publication.
WIN! KEEN boots
The writer of our star letter will win a pair of KEEN Targhee III Waterproof Mid Boots (RRP £145, keenfootwear.co.uk). Rugged and waterproof, they’re designed for durability and comfort, featuring a supportive mid-cut design, cushioned footbed and aggressive all-terrain outsole for reliable grip and stability on wet and rocky surfaces along challenging trails. They’ve also been constructed with the planet in mind, without PFAs and with an environmentally preferred leather upper and KEEN’s pesticide-free Eco Anti-Odor technology.
The writers of other featured letters will receive a £25 voucher to spend on Real Turmat products from Base Camp Food (basecampfood.com). Offering top-quality freeze-dried meals and expedition foods, Real Turmat is one of Base Camp Food’s best-selling ranges – a great choice for packing in your rucksack for your next adventure.
Nurture a love of nature
I fully support the Ramblers’ call for an Access to Nature Bill (New UK Government, New Opportunities, autumn, p16) and vouch for the importance of enabling people to walk in nature. Reading this article took me back to the importance of parks in our cities and towns, and the need for them to be maintained in these days of severe cutbacks. For my first nine years, I lived in a street of terraced houses (a bit like Coronation Street) in Manchester in the 1960s. We had no garden, just a backyard, but we did have two parks within walking distance, with a play area for children, wonderful rose gardens and lawns, and a recreation ground where we could play football. My inner-city school also took us to a field centre near Heaton Park for a week when I was eight, where we explored the fields, learned about wildflowers and grasses, and made a simple wooden toy boat each. This early access to nearby parks and my school having the funding for the Heaton Park trip were a foundation for my love of nature.
As well as supporting the Access to Nature Bill, we all need to ensure parks and recreational spaces are still there to be enjoyed, and that schools have the means to give children who live in areas with no green open spaces the chance to experience them. Hopefully, they will then start their own lifelong pleasure in nature and the countryside.
Pat Borland, Cumbria
Transport tip
walk magazine often describes linear routes with a recommendation to complete the walk and take a bus back. I met some rambling acquaintances in the Peak District at the end of their walk. They had missed the last bus from their location back to Sheffield. I never found out how they got home! Wouldn’t it be better to recommend that walkers use the public transport section of their journey first?
John Laskey, Leicestershire
Walk this Way
I enjoyed reading the article in the latest issue about the English Camino (The Big Walk, autumn, p56). I’m recovering from a hip operation and, while it’ll take a while to get fit enough to consider the Camino de Santiago, the English Camino might just be something I could be ready for much sooner. Here’s to enjoying the outdoors again!
Eva, Sutton Coldfield
Re: the English Camino/St James’ Way pilgrimage route, other pilgrimages are of course available – including the Whithorn Way between Glasgow and the historic burgh of Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway, site of the earliest Christian settlement in Scotland. This short video gives a taster of the 250km/155-mile route.
Alan S, Ayrshire
WIN! KEEN boots
The writer of our star letter will win a pair of KEEN Targhee III Waterproof Mid Boots (RRP £145, keenfootwear.co.uk). Rugged and waterproof, they’re designed for durability and comfort, featuring a supportive mid-cut design, cushioned footbed and aggressive all-terrain outsole for reliable grip and stability on wet and rocky surfaces along challenging trails. They’ve also been constructed with the planet in mind, without PFAs and with an environmentally preferred leather upper and KEEN’s pesticide-free Eco Anti-Odor technology.
The writers of other featured letters will receive a £25 voucher to spend on Real Turmat products from Base Camp Food (basecampfood.com). Offering top-quality freeze-dried meals and expedition foods, Real Turmat is one of Base Camp Food’s best-selling ranges – a great choice for packing in your rucksack for your next adventure.
Got something to say?
Tell us on Instagram, Facebook or X using #RamblersMyView, email us at walkmag@ramblers.org.uk or write to us at 13 Dirty Lane, London SE1 9PA. Letters may be shortened for publication.
Ask the experts
Whether you've got a question on kit, health or paths, our panel can help
OUR EXPERTS
Dr Jo Maher, an NHS GP in Sheffield for more than 20 years, is physical activity clinical champion for the city’s Move More campaign.
Sim Benson is a photographer and
walk gear reviewer. He has a huge amount of walking and outdoor industry experience.
Jen Benson, walk gear reviewer, is an outdoor writer and photographer with an MSc in sports and exercise medicine.
Katie Phillips is the Ramblers’ lead in walk leadership, supporting groups and partners to organise walking programmes.
WIN! A winter walk bundle
The sender of each letter to the experts shown here will win this great winter walking bundle. It contains: a Zoku travel mug to keep your warm drinks hot for hours; Rite in the Rain notebooks, with waterproof paper so your scribbles stay dry in drizzly conditions; a Carmex lip balm to protect dry, chapped lips; a collection of Nite Ize carabiners to keep items secured to your rucksack; and a Nite Ize Hitch Phone Anchor.
Winter sun
When walking in the winter, should we use sunscreen? I’ve seen advice to wear sunscreen year-round, but I’m concerned I might not make enough vitamin D. Also, I read that small amounts of sunlight may have other health benefits, helping to ward off depression and even dementia. Can you give some guidance?
Gill King, Bedfordshire
Dr Jo Maher The short answer is probably yes, we should wear sunscreen with protection against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation all year round, to protect against skin cancer. A sunscreen’s star rating (up to five stars) shows the UVA protection it offers, while the SPF or sun protection factor (from SPF 2 to SPF 50+) is a measure of the amount of UVB protection. We should also wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from UV damage.
Studies looking at the effects on mood and wellbeing from being outside in the daylight attribute this positive effect to social as well as endocrine (hormone-releasing) factors acting on our circadian rhythm (body clock) – so you should still experience the benefits even if your skin and eyes are protected from the sun.
The sun is not strong enough to stimulate our skin to generate much vitamin D in the winter, so NHS advice is to also eat a diet rich in vitamin D foods (such as oily fish, egg yolks, red meat, liver and fortified breakfast cereals) and consider taking a standard dose supplement of 10 micrograms a day of vitamin D between October and early March.
Grip, don’t slip
My usual walking boots are great for dry, rocky trails, but struggle to grip in the muddy conditions encountered in much of the UK during winter. Can you suggest some that grip well in the mud?
E Lewis, Hereford
Jen & Sim Benson Most walking boots and shoes designed for general use have a versatile, all-round grip that balances decent traction on a variety of surfaces with durability. This type of grip works well on stony or rocky paths, and in dry conditions, but often lacks the necessary tread to stay put in mud. For the best grip on soft ground, look for deep lugs (the indentations on the soles) of at least 4.5mm, widely spaced to allow mud to clear rather than build up. You also want a deep heel breast (the cutaway part between forefoot and heel) that digs into soft surfaces rather than skating over them – especially important when you’re walking downhill. We’d suggest trying Inov8’s Roclite Mid GTX, forged in Britain’s muddy fells (£150, inov8.com), Zamberlan’s Ultra Lite GTX (€259, eu.zamberlan.com) or the Lowa Randir GTX Mid (£245, lowa.co.uk).
Canine companions
I will soon be getting a trainee assistance dog and would like to take it on Ramblers group walks. I spotted some guidance saying the only assistance dogs allowed are ‘registered’ assistance dogs. However, there isn’t a registration process for assistance dogs, so can you clarify the Ramblers’ position?
Chris Humphries, Shrewsbury
Katie Phillips Assistance dogs and trainee assistance dogs are welcome on most Ramblers group walks. Whether the walk is promoted as being generally dog-friendly or not, the walk leader should make efforts to accommodate assistance dogs under the ‘reasonable adjustments’ required by equality legislation. Always check with the walk leader in advance and please bear in mind that sometimes the terrain, stiles or weather conditions may not be suitable for any dog. We will never compromise you or your dog’s safety. There are many types of assistance dog, including:
- guide dogs for blind people
- hearing dogs for deaf people
- disability assistance dogs for people with impaired mobility
- medical alert assistance dogs, trained to detect an upcoming medical emergency in people with epilepsy, diabetes and other conditions
- autism assistance dogs
- dogs that support people with mental health conditions, such as severe anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
There is no legal requirement for assistance dogs to be registered or certified, and we have updated Ramblers’ guidance to refer to ‘assistance dogs’ rather than ‘registered assistance dogs’.
Other ramblers who find themselves on a group walk with an assistance dog should allow the dog to focus fully on its handler. Don't distract, pet or feed an assistance dog while it is working, and avoid asking intrusive questions about the owner's medical condition.
Find out more about all types of assistance dogs from the charity Assistance Dogs UK.
Winter sun
When walking in the winter, should we use sunscreen? I’ve seen advice to wear sunscreen year-round, but I’m concerned I might not make enough vitamin D. Also, I read that small amounts of sunlight may have other health benefits, helping to ward off depression and even dementia. Can you give some guidance?
Gill King, Bedfordshire
Dr Jo Maher The short answer is probably yes, we should wear sunscreen with protection against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation all year round, to protect against skin cancer. A sunscreen’s star rating (up to five stars) shows the UVA protection it offers, while the SPF or sun protection factor (from SPF 2 to SPF 50+) is a measure of the amount of UVB protection. We should also wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from UV damage.
Studies looking at the effects on mood and wellbeing from being outside in the daylight attribute this positive effect to social as well as endocrine (hormone-releasing) factors acting on our circadian rhythm (body clock) – so you should still experience the benefits even if your skin and eyes are protected from the sun.
The sun is not strong enough to stimulate our skin to generate much vitamin D in the winter, so NHS advice is to also eat a diet rich in vitamin D foods (such as oily fish, egg yolks, red meat, liver and fortified breakfast cereals) and consider taking a standard dose supplement of 10 micrograms a day of vitamin D between October and early March.
Grip, don’t slip
My usual walking boots are great for dry, rocky trails, but struggle to grip in the muddy conditions encountered in much of the UK during winter. Can you suggest some that grip well in the mud?
E Lewis, Hereford
Jen & Sim Benson Most walking boots and shoes designed for general use have a versatile, all-round grip that balances decent traction on a variety of surfaces with durability. This type of grip works well on stony or rocky paths, and in dry conditions, but often lacks the necessary tread to stay put in mud. For the best grip on soft ground, look for deep lugs (the indentations on the soles) of at least 4.5mm, widely spaced to allow mud to clear rather than build up. You also want a deep heel breast (the cutaway part between forefoot and heel) that digs into soft surfaces rather than skating over them – especially important when you’re walking downhill. We’d suggest trying Inov8’s Roclite Mid GTX, forged in Britain’s muddy fells (£150, inov8.com), Zamberlan’s Ultra Lite GTX (€259, eu.zamberlan.com) or the Lowa Randir GTX Mid (£245, lowa.co.uk).
Canine companions
I will soon be getting a trainee assistance dog and would like to take it on Ramblers group walks. I spotted some guidance saying the only assistance dogs allowed are ‘registered’ assistance dogs. However, there isn’t a registration process for assistance dogs, so can you clarify the Ramblers’ position?
Chris Humphries, Shrewsbury
Katie Phillips Assistance dogs and trainee assistance dogs are welcome on most Ramblers group walks. Whether the walk is promoted as being generally dog-friendly or not, the walk leader should make efforts to accommodate assistance dogs under the ‘reasonable adjustments’ required by equality legislation. Always check with the walk leader in advance and please bear in mind that sometimes the terrain, stiles or weather conditions may not be suitable for any dog. We will never compromise you or your dog’s safety. There are many types of assistance dog, including:
- guide dogs for blind people
- hearing dogs for deaf people
- disability assistance dogs for people with impaired mobility
- medical alert assistance dogs, trained to detect an upcoming medical emergency in people with epilepsy, diabetes and other conditions
- autism assistance dogs
- dogs that support people with mental health conditions, such as severe anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
There is no legal requirement for assistance dogs to be registered or certified, and we have updated Ramblers’ guidance to refer to ‘assistance dogs’ rather than ‘registered assistance dogs’.
Other ramblers who find themselves on a group walk with an assistance dog should allow the dog to focus fully on its handler. Don't distract, pet or feed an assistance dog while it is working, and avoid asking intrusive questions about the owner's medical condition.
Find out more about all types of assistance dogs from the charity Assistance Dogs UK.
OUR EXPERTS
Dr Jo Maher, an NHS GP in Sheffield for more than 20 years, is physical activity clinical champion for the city’s Move More campaign.
Sim Benson is a photographer and
walk gear reviewer. He has a huge amount of walking and outdoor industry experience.
Jen Benson, walk gear reviewer, is an outdoor writer and photographer with an MSc in sports and exercise medicine.
Katie Phillips is the Ramblers’ lead in walk leadership, supporting groups and partners to organise walking programmes.
WIN! A winter walk bundle
The sender of each letter to the experts shown here will win this great winter walking bundle. It contains: a Zoku travel mug to keep your warm drinks hot for hours; Rite in the Rain notebooks, with waterproof paper so your scribbles stay dry in drizzly conditions; a Carmex lip balm to protect dry, chapped lips; a collection of Nite Ize carabiners to keep items secured to your rucksack; and a Nite Ize Hitch Phone Anchor.
We are the Ramblers, Britain’s walking charity. We open the way for everyone to enjoy the simple pleasures of walking. And we step up to protect the places we all love to wander. Click to find out more
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