Fun and Fitness Nordic Walking Activities on Exmoor
We offer one-off introductory sessions, refreshers/improvers sessions, social walks for fun and fitness, guided scenic walks, Nordic Days Out and talks on nordic walking. Please click on each page on the left for more info.
Please scroll down for: a memorable birthday present (bottom of the page) and generally for:
what to wear, advice re ticks, food and drink, talks, and birthday and wedding anniversary presents
What to Wear
Just wear whatever you would normally wear to walk along a footpath in the countryside. If we are going on the moor, or anywhere with bracken, do wear trousers not shorts, and tuck them into socks, and longsleeved shirts, to reduce the chance of ticks attaching to you (see below). Layers of clothes are best, as you might feel a little warm during the exercise. Also remember to bring something warm to wear whilst driving home afterwards.
Ideally you want footwear that will allow you to flex your feet and roll each foot from heel to toe as you stride along. Trainers or walking shoes are best in the summer. However when it rains heavily, it can be greasy and very muddy underfoot, and I suggest you wear waterproof walking boots with a really good tread.
The top of the moor can be 2 -3 layers of clothing colder than the temperature at home when you get into your car. I suggest you bring non-bulky gloves, a snug-fitting hat and non-bulky waterproofs, and perhaps also a change of shoes and trousers for wet days. Don't let this worry you, you'll be warm as toast once you start nordic walking and it's invigorating.
Ticks! Please read the advice below from http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ticks.htm and if you feel concerned - please bear the following in mind to keep it in perspective - I often find ticks on my dogs when they have been running through bracken in the summer, and the dogs are ok, and I myself have only had one tick bite in 25 years of walking on the moor, with no ill effects.
www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ticks.htm:
"Can I avoid ticks?
It is very difficult to avoid ticks totally because they can be found in urban parks and gardens, as well as typical countryside locations. It is possible for you or your pets to bring ticks into your home. The best strategy is ‘awareness’. Check yourself for ticks whenever you have visited a place where they may have been present. Do this both immediately and for up to three days after any outdoor visit. This may allow you to see any adult tick that has attached. Once it has started to feed, its blood-engorged body will make it very visible. If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible.
Ticks can locate their prey by detecting host body heat, carbon dioxide and ammonia. They may crawl towards a stationary host or stretch out their front legs, equipped with tiny ‘grappling hooks’ in order to attach to a passing host. So anything you can do to thwart these tactics may help you to avoid tick bites. There are many suggestions about how to stop ticks reaching your skin but there has been little measurement of their effectiveness. Awareness still remains the best strategy.
- You should make it more difficult for a tick to reach your skin by wearing shoes rather than sandals and tuck long trousers into socks.
- Ticks can be more easily seen on white or light-coloured clothing.
- Avoid a tick's favourite places by walking in the middle of paths and check yourself after sitting on logs or leaning against tree trunks.
- If you picnic, use a light coloured picnic blanket to sit on. The underside of the blanket can be more easily checked for the presence of ticks.
- Check your pets for ticks when they come into the house and keep pets that have outside exposure off furniture especially bedding.
- Spray your clothing with an effective anti-tick pesticide. There are a variety in outdoor shops and chemists. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully.
How do I remove a tick?
Your main aims are to remove all parts of the tick’s body and to prevent it releasing additional saliva or regurgitating its stomach contents into your bite wound.
DO use a proprietary tick removal tool* (available from many vets or pet shops),
(to see how to use the tool please look at the instructions provided on the page at http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/information/tick_removal.htm (takes you away from this nordic walking website). This tool will grip the head of the tick.
* Alternative Methods : With pointed tweezers grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible without squeezing the tick’s body, pull the tick out without twisting – there may be considerable resistance.
If no tools are available, rather than delay use a cotton thread - Tie a single loop of cotton around the tick’s mouthparts, as close to the skin as possible, then pull gently upwards and outwards.
DO cleanse the bite site and tweezers, with antiseptic before and after removal.
DO wash hands thoroughly afterwards.
DO save the tick in a container in case you develop symptoms later (label with date and location). The Health Protection Agency are currently running a scheme to investigate ticks, details available at www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/information/tick.htm or from the HPA at www.hpa.org.uk.
DO NOT squeeze or twist the body of the tick, as this may cause the head and body to separate, leaving the head embedded in your skin.
DO NOT use your fingernails to remove a tick. Infection can enter via any breaks in your skin, e.g. Close to the fingernail.
DO NOT crush the tick’s body, as this may cause it to regurgitate its infected stomach contents into the bite wound.
DO NOT try to burn the tick off, apply petroleum jelly, nail polish or any other chemical. Any of these methods can cause discomfort to the tick, resulting in regurgitation, or saliva release."
(End of tick advice on this page)
No MBTs
Please note that Masai Barefoot Technology shoes are not recommended for nordic walking.
Water Bottle, food and coffee
Please bring your filled water bottle along with you. You might also like to consider an apple and cereal bar, and even a flask of coffee to pep you up for the drive home, especially if we have been out in the rain. For sunny days, I suggest you bring sunglasses and remember your sunscreen. If we're meeting on the moor, and you like looking at the views or wildlife, bring your binoculars and camera - they can be clipped onto a waist belt or stored inside a rucksack.
Talks
Are you in desparate need to fill your events calendar for the winter months. Can you find enough speakers? If not, can Angela help?
For a short talk with a difference, consider asking Fun and Fitness Nordic Walking to speak after your WI meeting, ladies lunch or rotary club meeting.
Christmas/Birthday/Wedding anniversary presents
For the person or couple who already have everything, why not give a Nordic Walking Lesson with a follow up improvers session, or a Nordic Day Out as an unforgettable present
which they and you can share.
Example only: Christmas Gift Voucher
A Gift Voucher as a passport
to comfortable walking and an easy invigorating way to keep fit - for the person who has already has everything else
copyright Angela Bidlake 2007
Example: A Gift of a half day outing at Dulverton on Exmoor to learn the basics of the nordic walking technique, plus a one hour follow up refresher session, and included for free - participation in one guided nordic walk - valid for one adult until 31 October 2008
Value from £79 - £95
(The price will depend on how long the voucher is valid/the price is held -as I have to allow for petrol and other price increases next year)
(The terms and conditions of participation in nordic walking activities as stated throughout this website from time to time, apply - at all times my overriding concern is for your safety and enjoyment.) |
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