Introductions to nordic walking on Exmoor – learning the basic technique
Come and learn the basics of the nordic walking technique during a morning or afternoon walk in the countryside, followed by a refresher hour at a later time. You will learn the basic technique during a walk in a lovely location. I provide the special nordic walking poles. Just let me know when you would like to come, any day of the week is fine.
Please scroll down this long page for:-
- what the introductory package gives you - a comprehensive and in depth experience over different types of terrain - a whole lot more than just a brief illustration of how to handle the poles
- afterwards
- the cost and time (e.g. 3 hours plus 1 hour, or 2 hours plus 2 hours)
for personal one-to-one coaching, and small group tuition:
- the cost varies according to how many people there are and where we meet,
- the timing varies depending on any special requirements you may have and whether you are local or just down for a day
- some points to note = some "small print"
- please read the advice on what to wear and about ticks on this page
- and there's a pretty picture 2/3 of the way down and another right at the bottom of this page
For individual or small group personal tuition, the first introduction usually lasts about three hours if you are reasonably 'walking fit'. Learning the basics of the technique over the course of a morning or afternoon gives you the time to consolidate the technique in your own mind, and coupled with a refresher hour at a later date when you have practised on your own for a while, is in my experience, for most people the best use of your time and money.
Don't worry, this does not mean three solid hours of trying out a new tiring exercise - please see below for what happens in a lesson. In my experience, most people would rather learn intensively over a couple of mornings or afternoons in the beautiful surroundings of Exmoor, rather than turn up for a course of 6 or 8 x hourly sessions, although if you would prefer that, we can do that instead. Please read on for more variations available.
If you would prefer to walk for a shorter time, for example, perhaps you are getting your strength back again after an operation, or haven't done any exercise for a while, I do also offer series of 2 hour and one hour lessons. Give me a call and we can adapt the instruction to whatever suits you best.
NB in my professional opinion, having now taught very many people to nordic walk, a one hour or a one and a half hour session on its own is not enough to allow people to master the technique safely or to ensure that they remember it afterwards. And it certainly does not allow time to learn the special techniques for mastering rough terrain and steep hills.
Although you may see one and a half hour sessions offered in other parts of the country, I think you will usually find that these are offered as a taster and the "meat" is in a full course of lessons. I think that the nordic walking technique is rather like squash, in the sense that it is easy to do it at an inexperienced level without very much expertise, and to think that you know it all because you can hit the ball and it bounces back off the back wall. You need to learn the basics of the technique, go away and practise, and then come back for some polish. For this reason, I no longer offer 1 1/2 hour taster sessions on their own; and you will benefit from a package of instruction, tailored to suit you.
What happens in the introductory package
We start with a short demonstration of the nordic walking technique and how it can be applied to the local Exmoor terrain, so that you can see how the technique helps you flow along. I then ask you to fill in a registration form so that you can advise me of any physical concerns - for example an old injury which we don't want to jigger up, a recent operation, how much walking you have been doing recently, here the onus is on you to give me the proper information. I will find a pair of poles to fit you, and we will go for a gentle warm up out of the public eye.
I will then show you how to build up the basic technique step by step, so that you learn how to use the poles safely and effectively. We will walk along gently and the level of exercise for this session will only be moderate whilst you accustom yourself to the poles. Please note that the emphasis on this occasion is on how best to allow you to master the technique so you can use it as you choose in the future, rather than simply going on a pleasant walk in the countryside, so we will be stopping and starting as we progress through different stages of the technique, and we don't walk very far.
If time permits, and depending on how you get on, and if you want to, you will also learn how to adapt the technique across different types of terrain:
- You will practise how to cruise powerfully and easily up hills (done properly this is also a good workout for the shoulders and back)
- and how to walk down steep slopes with greater stability and security, and,
- if you have aching knees, ankles or hips, this should help you go downhill with less discomfort than normal
- You will learn how to cross rough ground securely
- You will find out how to best negotiate narrow paths, how to cross heather and bracken, and how to cope easily with ruts, small ditches and banks
- and generally, how to make those poles "really work" for you:
- whether by using the technique properly to exercise your muscles and give your body a good allover workout,
- and/or by giving you extra power, comfort and 'oomph' in your walking
The whole lesson is specially designed to make it fun and easy for you to learn, and as I have now taught the technique to many people, I am using my experience to tailor exercises during the lesson particularly to each individual, and if you find any particular bit more challenging to master, I can usually recognise the causes behind this and find a way to sort these out at an early stage.
After the walk I will show you the good and less good points of a range of poles so that you know what to choose should you wish to buy some poles in the future. I can also recommend suppliers.
The lesson will be lighthearted and you should not worry about it or try too hard, because the more relaxed you are, the quicker you will learn and it will be more enjoyable for you.
Do you come on your own or bring someone? Or join a class?
Most people seem to prefer to learn one to one, but others find it more fun to exercise and learn in a group, so if you would like to bring your husband/wife or a friend or several friends, please do. I only occasionally run fixed weekly classes as people seem to prefer to come when it is particularly convenient to them and to get on with it once they have made up their minds to go ahead.
Group lessons are limited to 4 - 6 people to ensure that you each receive enough individual attention and to make sure there are not too many people with different speeds of walking and different speeds of learning the nordic walking technique.
(It does not always follow that if you are a fast walker that you will learn the nordic walking technique quickly; usually, the people who naturally walk fast, take a little longer to fully master the nordic walking technique, compared to those who naturally walk a little slower, but once the naturally speedy people have mastered it properly, then they are likely to really 'fly' along.)
At the end of the lesson
After the first three hours you will probably feel confident enough to practise the basic nordic walking technique on your own whenever and wherever you normally go out walking, (you don't have to join up with other nordic walkers to do this). After you have practised with your own poles for some days/weeks/a month or so, (or hired some poles from me to do so) you can give me a call and we will arrange the follow up refresher hour, which can be taken at any time up to 3 months after the first introduction. I put a time limit on it, as if you leave it too long, you will probably forget many of the technique points, and may need longer than that one hour to get back on track.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson and found your instruction clear and thorough." Brenda Townsend Hall, Exeter, August 2007
"Thank you for your patient tuition on Saturday. The time flew by and we both had a great experience. We will now be able to practice knowing we are not consolidating too many bad habits. See you in a few months." Amanda & Doug from Bideford after their first part introduction to the nordic walking technique and before their refresher. August 2008
The Cost - (please scroll down for variations)
- one to one or a small group at Dulverton
- further afield: Tiverton, Dunster, Braunton Burrows, Killerton
- open group course at Killerton
- what if you are on holiday or visiting Exmoor just for the day or weekend and are unlikely to come back in the near future,
- special offers
- gift vouchers
The cost of a morning or afternoon introduction at Marsh Bridge, Winsford Hill and Haddon Hill, all near Dulverton followed by a one hour refresher at a later date:
If you choose to come on your own to the Dulverton area,
for one to one tuition, where you have my undivided attention for the whole of the four hours instruction (one 3 hour introduction plus one refresher or 2 hours plus 2 hours), you can go at your own pace, and normally learn much faster, the cost is £79 for the four hours in total. I can usually agree a time and date with you straightaway and you can "get on with it" as soon as you wish. Payment for the four hours is up front.
If you bring a friend for the basic 3 hour introduction and one hour refresher in the Dulverton area - the cost is £59 each person for the four hours. Payment for the whole is up front.
For 3 persons together near Dulverton, the cost drops to £49 each, and for 4 persons it drops to £45 each for the 4 hours.
For 5 or 6 people together, the cost sinks to £40 each.
I don't usually teach more than a maximum of 6, because I like to give you the individual attention you deserve, and with larger groups, the different pace at which people walk and their respective interests in what they want out of the experience, tends to vary so much that I feel you don't get anything like as much out of it as you could with a smaller group.
^top or more variations below
If, whatever the number, you are happy to learn in some fields nearer my home (instead of having the scenic experience of walking over the moor or through the woods), and thus saving some of my time and motoring costs for travelling, I can reflect this saving in a discount.
4 x one hourly sessions - for one person's individual instruction, in the Dulverton area, has a different cost of £95 in total for the four hours, payable up front, but could be much cheaper if you meet me in my village. (You see I have to cover my own travelling costs on four different occasions to the moor, and there is a greater opportunity cost to me, for example I could be using that morning to teach someone else for 3 hours)
2 x 2 hours individual or small group coaching at other locations:
Tiverton area the same cost as for the Dulverton area above plus £17 travelling cost for the 2 journeys, shared between participants.
Silverton, Killerton, Braunton Burrows, Minehead, Dunster, Crowcombe and their surrounding areas - as Dulverton plus travelling costs of about £30 (depending on mileage for the two journeys) (blame the Chancellor not me!) shared between the group. For 5 people, that's only £6 each for the extra convenience, almost less than it costs you to get your car out of the garage.
(Minehead for example is about an hour travelling one way and a 44 mile round trip from my home so a lesson will take 4 hours out of my day on top of my motoring costs).
Consider - You may prefer to come to Winsford Hill or Haddon Hill to discover a new beauty spot. ^top
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Winsford Hill
- one of the places to learn the basics of the technique |
If you are on holiday or visiting Exmoor just for the day or weekend and are unlikely to come back in the near future and be able to take advantage of the refresher at a later date: In my opinion, you still need the four hours instruction to be safe and effective, so we can split it into a 2 hour session in the morning and another in the afternoon for one day, (have a light lunch in the pub in the middle,) (or have the instruction on 2 consecutive days - Saturday and Sunday. ^top
Special offers:
- if you are a local nurse, or a local chiropractor or a local osteopath
- or a local walk leader for the ramblers or any local walking group,
- or, if you have a local bed and breakfast website and will link to this one
call me and we can discuss a special rate just for you.
Gift Vouchers: are available and make an unusual present for Christmas, a birthday or an anniversary. The cost will be the same as the details above. Please call me on 01398 341281 to discuss the options.
If you would like to come along and try out nordic walking, please give me a ring on 01398 341281, or if you prefer, email me on info@nordicwalkingsomerset.co.uk (The phone is better really and I am in most mornings and sometimes during the evening so just call when it suits you, or email me with a time and day and I'll call you back then.)
Some "small print"
*Please note – for the individual coaching for the introduction and refresher sessions, the time we take will usually be about four hours in total however you have chosen to have it split, or a little more time, as best suits you. The time taken to complete the registration form, to fit poles, to warm up and stretch, the advice on poles, and the actual instruction, are all counted in the lesson time. The fee is the same whether we spend the whole four hours, more than 4 hours, or less than 4 hours together, unless we have agreed otherwise beforehand. It usually works out as about or just over 4 hours. Likewise the group classes will be run on the same principle.
If you choose not to take up the refresher session,(or to complete the series of group classes) i.e you come for the first introduction, but don't contact me again to arrange a refresher lesson,simply because you are too busy, or for some other similar reason, that is your choice and I will not be giving you a refund. This is because I believe that the refresher hour (or full course) is very important for you as a nordic walker, to make sure you continue to use the nordic walking technique safely and efficiently, and I want you to have the incentive to come back and make sure you are safe and really getting the best out of your poles.
If you cannot arrange the refresher session within 3 months of the first introduction, but you would still like one as soon as possible, then please let me know and we can discuss rearranging it at a mutually convenient time.
Naturally if for some reason you were not happy with my service, then that is entirely different and I would want to know why, and how I might address any concerns you might have.
Please read the advice on what to wear on this page
^top Jane Alexander has written an independent account of her introduction to nordic walking in the Spring 2007 issue of Exmoor, the country magazine, published by Halgrove. There was also an article by Louise Vennells, the chief reporter for the Exeter area, in the Western Morning News, Louise came on one hot day two years ago to train on Winsford Hill above the Punch Bowl. My instruction for an introduction to nordic walking was also chosen as the "Best Walk" for Exmoor National Park by the Guardian last summer.
One of the herds owned by the Exmoor National Park Authority, free living on Haddon Hill above Wimbleball Reservoir
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