Nordic Walking Activities
I offer introductions to the nordic walking technique, refreshers/improvers
sessions, occasional social walks for fun and fitness, guided scenic walks and
Nordic Days Out.
Please scroll down for:
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.
In an ideal world, where you might be nordic walking along a smooth peat bark trail through the mountains, or across a beach or a manicured park, you would wear footwear that will allow you to flex your feet and
use the full length of each foot from heel to toe as you stride along. Trainers or
walking shoes are good in the summer. For the moors, or any normal walking in the countryside, however, you will be better wearing lightweight flexible walking boots to give you that extra ankle support. When it rains
heavily, the ground can be greasy and very muddy underfoot at any time of the year, and I suggest you choose to 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.
If your doctor has advised you to carry some medication with you
at
all times (eg an inhaler/an epipen) please please bring it and
make
sure it is on your person, not left in the car - we can't go
unless you
do. ^ top
Ticks! Please read the advice below from http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ticks.htm and if you find it alarming - 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 and the dogs are ok, and I myself have
only had two tick bites in 25 years of walking on the moor, with
no
ill effects. Remember not every tick carries lyme disease and our ticks are nothing like as bad as some of those which you can find abroad.
Quoted on 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 a re 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. "
[A note from Angela inserted here: When ticks crawl onto my dogs, the ticks will take quite some time to crawl through the dog fur before finding a suitable place to bite. Likewise with humans, a tick is unlikely to bite straightaway, and you will see it crawling along. They look like tiny spiders, half the size of an ant. Once you have seen one, they are unmistakeable. So you have quite some time to find the tick before it gets in underneath your clothing and buries its head in you. It is important that you have a good look at your clothing and exposed skin regularly, as you are unlikely to feel a tick on your skin.
If you find one, please don't leave it for the next person, but place it on a hard surface, and squash it using a stone. If you do find one which has actually bitten you, you will see its body and legs only, the head and mouthparts will be buried in your skin, and you won't be able to brush it off. Don't try to pull it off in disgust (see the official advice below). Even if you have the recommended little hook tool, it is extremely difficult to get the entire tick off, body, head, embedded mouthparts and all, and I suggest you visit your GPs surgery and ask a practice nurse to remove the tick for you as soon as possible. That's just my view, please do continue to read the official advice below.]
"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. Phew) Please carry on scrolling down for other matters.
No MBTs
Please note that Masai Barefoot Technology shoes are not
recommended for nordic walking.
Water Bottle, food and coffee ^ top
Please make sure you have had a 'square meal' before you come.
Please bring your filled water bottle along with you. You might
also
like to consider an apple and cereal bar, and a flask of
coffee
to pep you up for the drive home, especially if we have
been out
in the rain. (Alternatively there are some great cafes in Dulverton.)
For sunny days, I suggest you bring sunglasses and
remember
your sunscreen, because there's no shade on the top of Winsford Hill and on a good day it is scorching there. 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 ^ top
Do you need to fill your events calendar for the
winter months. Can you find enough speakers? If not, can I help? For a short talk with a difference, consider asking me 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 or an improvers session, or
a Nordic Day Out as an unforgettable present
which they and you
can share.
Example only: Christmas Gift Voucher
Give 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 copyright Angela Bidlake 2008
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, valid for one adult until -----2009
Value from £85 for one person
(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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