Nordic Walking week commencing 24th April, 2017

Hi Nordic Walkers,

Big News this week –  We have two new Walk Leaders to join Gordon at Walk2Fitness!  Well done to Rachel and Denise for completing their Walk Leader qualification and becoming part of the team.  What this means for everyone is that we will be able to offer more walks for you.

Also this weekend I completed another Nordic Walking Instructor Course; this time with British Nordic Walking and the International Nordic Walking Federation so I have fresh ideas and I will be offering workshops soon for a technique shake up!  Yipee!

Last week we had a superb charity walk in Bolnhurst arranged by Caron for Bedford Hospice Day Care Centre and Breast Cancer UK.  Thanks to all of you who came along to support this worthy cause.

POP UP FRIDAY WALK – £5
Sharpenhoe Clappers, Streatley.  This walk is flat and one of the most scenic walks we do.  The countryside is at it’s best right now and what better place to view it that on top of the Clappers.  The views will take your breath away.  Afterwards we can venture to the Old Mill in Barton just off the bypass for a cuppa and snoop around. The nearest postcode for the carpark in Streatley is MK45 4SH. Anyone who wishes to carpool, just let me know. Thanks.

NEW TRIAL MONDAY EVENING CLASS – 8th MAY 2017 – 5pm
I will be trialing a new evening class at Barton Le Clay on Monday evenings at 5pm.  This walk is a great challenge taking in panoramic views that are just stunnng.  There are some hills which we love and our heart and lungs love too! (not to mention the fab calorie burning!)  This will be a Moderate paced class. £5  Put this date in your diary!  Yay!

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

SPEED GRADING KEY:

Nordic Walking week commencing 17th April, 2017
Hi Nordic Walkers,

Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend.  Now it’s time for some chocolate burn off walks so hoping you can join us this week.  We have a lovely Bluebell walk this week through Kings Woods which is a real treat!  For this walk we can park in The Knife & Cleaver car park where we can return after the walk for tea/coffee and snacks if we fancy! Yay!

We also have the charity crocus walk on Friday in Bolnhurst.  If anyone needs a ride, please let me know. Distance options are 2.5k or 5k and there is a £10 Registration fee which includes refreshments. Thanks.

As there are quite a few Lambs and their mothers in the fields at the moment, may I suggest that when passing them we lift our poles and speak in hushed tones as to not alarm them.  Thanks for your consideration for our wooly friends.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

Nordic Walking week commencing 10th April, 2017

Hi Nordic Walkers,

Time to get out the sun block!  What a fab week we just had and how great it is to be outside this time of year. This coming week looks like it may cool down some but still looking good.  Well done to Kathy & Caron who managed 6 walks with me this week!

NEW GRADUATES
We have a few more newbies joining us:  Salah, Lea, Russ and Sue. We look forward to seeing you out on the trails! Welcome.

EASTER WEEKEND
I will be doing walks this Saturday as normal as I thought we may be consuming extra food (chocolate!) this weekend and might need to burn some LB’s.  However, I am taking Bank Holiday Monday off.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

Nordic Walking week commencing 1st April, 2017

Hi Nordic Walkers,

Another month has flown by and the temperatures are creeping up!  This means we need to hydrate, so please bring water with you; the nose blows are replaced with water stops! Of course you can still blow your nose too!

NEW GRADUATES
We have some new walkers who have just finished or just about to finish their Technique course, they are: Eilish, Bridget, Yvonne, Christine, Elvira, Jim, Frances, Angela and Steve.  We look forward to seeing you all on the trails. Welcome.

POLES
Many of you have been asking about poles and a good place to look is http://nordicwalking.co.uk/products/39/  Leki are my preferred pole and Leki Spins, Leki Supreme, Leki Instructor poles are proving to be very popular.  Exerstriders are a great pole for walkers wanting a bit more stability.

EVENING CLASSES
This week both the Wednesday and Thursday evening classes are beginning again.  These are booking classes so let me know if you wish to attend via text or email.  Thanks.

POP UP FRIDAY – 10am – £5 
This week we have a great POP UP walk for you of 5 miles.  Beginning at the West car Park of Ampthill Park we will head off on the “Alpaca route” towards Centre Parcs where we will walk the perimeter before heading back.  This walk has beautiful views across the countryside and a great trail around the forest. Please book if you wish to attend.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

Nordic Walking week commencing 27th March, 2017

Hi Nordic Walkers,

Happy Mother’s Day to all my lovely walker’s and hope you’ve been spoiled sufficiently!  Last week I was unable to share our St Patrick’s Day pics but as you can see, a fun time was had by all.  Thanks to all of you who came along to enjoy our walk around Rowney Warren in your St Paddy’s gear!

I’d like to welcome some Newbie’s joining us after completing their Technique course, they are: Martin, Julie, Sam, Wendy, Paul S, Paul D and Sonia.  We look forward to seeing you all out on the trails!

NEW START TIME FOR WEDNESDAY ROWNEY WARREN WALK – 11AM – BOOKING CLASS
After trialing this class for the past four weeks it has been a big success (Yipee!) so therefore we will make it a permanent class on our weekly schedule.  Because of the differing speeds of walkers we will split it into to Moderate and Gentle Plus speeds starting this week. After speaking with many of you who have attended this class so far; it was suggested we change the start time to 11am instead of noon, so lets give it a try at the earlier time this week.  Thanks!

BRAND NEW CLASSES STARTING TUESDAY – BOOKING CLASS – 4 max (6)
SUPER G – Super G (Super Gentle) will be starting this coming Tuesday

at 11:45am from The Hub car park.  This class is for walkers who want to take extra care walking and will build up fitness levels slowly and safely. Whether returning to exercise after a lengthy break or from injury, this class will be at a comfortable pace and with a maximum of 4 in a class so I can stick close and give more attention where needed. This class will be a maximum of 45 minutes and is £10 per session.

EVENING CLASSES –  BOOKING CLASS
We will be beginning our evening classes again in April.
Wednesday 5th April – 6pm – Ampthill West Car Park – Moderate (2) – 45 mins – £5
Thursday 6th April – 6pm – Ampthill West Car Park – HIT (High Intensity Training) – 30 mins – £5

NEW EVENING CLASS TRIAL –  BOOKING CLASS – Moderate (2)
I will be Trialing a Monday Evening walk from Barton Springs, Barton Le Clay and Warden Hills, Luton (near Keech Hospice) starting at 5pm.  I am doing the risk assessments this week to see if the trails are drying out sufficiently. Hopefully starting in the next couple of weeks.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

Nordic Walking week commencing 20th March, 2017

Hi Nordic Walkers,

Sorry for brief email this week (phew I hear you say!)  I’m having problems with computer so sending this quickly before it goes crazy again.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

SPEED GRADING KEY:

Nordic Walking week commencing 13th March, 2017

Hi Nordic Walkers,

What a lovely morning it was today…..sunshine, fabulous walks and great effort from all the groups especially on the hills where there was minimal groaning only!  Great stuff!

With the warmer temperatures creeping up, it would be a good idea to bring water with you to stay hydrated.  Both Gordon and I can put your bottles in our back packs if you don’t want to carry it.  VERY IMPORTANT to drink plenty prior to and during exercising.  Thanks.

A Big thank you to Caron for organizing a lovely lunch in London on Friday at Simpsons.  It was a super day for all who attended.  After the Treacle Sponge, I was in heaven.

This week we have the POP UP Paddy Walk on Friday 17th which is at Rowney Warren, Chicksands, near Shefford. Directions below. Wear something green if you can!  This is a 3 mile route in the beautiful woods.  As it’s St Patrick’s Day, for those who are staying for lunch and a swift half, we will head to The Black Horse in Ireland (3 mins from Rowney Warren). To be sure, to be sure!

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

Nordic Walking week commencing 6th March, 2017

Hi Nordic Walkers,

After moving from Gentle Plus to Moderate groups this past week, many of you really stepped it up and worked especially hard, so a BIG well done to you.  If you’re unsure about which class to attend, please let me know.  You can also do half a class in Moderate and the other half in Gentle Plus; so there are options for everyone.  Fab stuff!

NEW ROWNEY WARREN WALK EVERY WEDNESDAY – 12pm – £5
Our new walk location is such a wonderful place to walk, with slight undulations it is suitable for both Gentle Plus and Moderate walkers.  Come along and try this new walk, with optional tea shop stop afterwards.

NEW BEGINNER TECHNIQUE COURSE – 25th March, 2017 – 11am
I will be doing another Beginners course starting on Saturday 25th March at 11am

in the West Car Park.  If you know anyone that would be interested in learning the Nordic Walking Technique, please have them email me. Many thanks.

POP UP PADDY WALK – FRIDAY 17th March, 2017 – 11am – ROWNEY WARREN – £5
This walk will be at Rowney Warren and is 3 miles.  As this is St Patrick’s Day you should wear something green!  Afterwards we will be having lunch at The Black Horse in Ireland (near the walk!) Check out the lunch menu here: https://blackhorseireland.com/
If you’d like to come along, please let me know with your menu choices by Saturday 11th March. Thanks.

CHARITY CROCUS WALK – 21st April, 2017 – 10am
This Charity walk is on Friday 21st April at 10am in Bolnhurst.(MK44 2EN).  It is either 2.5 or 5miles long and there is a suggested donation of £10 per person which includes Coffee, maps & lunch.  This walk is raising funds for 2 charities: Bedford Day Care Hospice and Breast Cancer UK.  If you would like to take part, please let Caron or I know.  Thanks.

SIMPSON’S LONDON LUNCH
For those signed up to go to Simpson’s this coming Friday, we are looking to meet at Flitwick Station at 9:45am so it will give us time to sort out the train tickets.  The train we’re looking to get will be 10:04am or you can go for the 10:20am.  If you’re making your own way there just make sure you are at Simpson’s by 12:30pm as they are strict on times.  Any questions, just let Caron know. Thanks.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

Nordic Walking week commencing 27th February, 2017

Hi Nordic Walkers,

Well done to all those walkers who braved the weather on Thursday.  Rachel was a star leading the group while I was in Ireland.  Also thanks always to Gordon for covering classes on Tuesday for me and Denise and Sheelagh for helping out too.  I’m so lucky to have you all fill in when needed.

NORDIC SNIPPING!
Tomorrow at Noon we are meeting at the Hub in Ampthill with our gardening gloves and secateurs/shears to improve some of our paths that have become overgrown with thorny bits etc. If you’d like to join us, please come along!  Cuppa for all volunteers at the end!

Our New Walk is starting this Wednesday and as many Gentle Plus and Moderate Walkers have shown interest, we will open this up to both paces.  This is a trial class that will run for four weeks to see if there is enough interest. Therefore this will be a Booking Class so please text or email me if you wish to attend.  Yipee! This class is £5.

Our Gentle Plus classes are growing and the paces in this group have split into three sections which makes it harder to manage for me and my walk leaders, so this week we will try the faster Gentle Plus Walkers in the Moderate class.  All this means is that a lot of you have improved your fitness  levels and your pace has increased to spread the group out.  This is a good thing!  But Don’t panic, with my trusty whistle, no one will be left behind!

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Moderate Plus & Gentle – £5
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50

SPEED GRADING KEY: