Members Guidelines

Members Guidelines

Please note the guidelines below are not exhaustive. Additions or amendments due to changing circumstances will be done from time to time.

The guidelines are not intended to be onerous and the committee is always open to suggested amendments or changes.

• All members are expected to commit to taking their turn organising a walk. Currently with the existing membership this is estimated to be once every 18 months

• Where circumstances change and a member with responsibility for organising a walk that they have committed to, and they can no longer lead or organise their walk it is the members responsibility to liaise with the committee and proactively seek a replacement to lead/organise the walk. Every support will be given, but final responsibility to change arrangements rest with the member

• The member responsible for arranging a walk must clearly identify their proposed walk with Start, Mid-point, Finish and lunch/picnic stops on a map. These locations will be confirmed by the webmaster prior to a walk being posted on the website. It is very helpful (but not compulsory) to include GPS co-ordinates or a google link detailing these locations

• Please note the mid-point (half-way) location does not have to be on a road. The member organising the walk can liaise directly with the walkers intending to join at the mid-point so that they can get themselves to a point that suits the walk organiser.

• There is a cordial understanding that walkers will not compromise the groups enjoyment of a walk, by not equipping themselves adequately with footwear, weather wear and water

• Members have a responsibility to notify the committee if their health and well-being changes significantly and no longer comply with the self-certified state they have reported

• If a member cannot attend a walk or lunch they have committed to, they must let the walk organiser know ASAP, and agree to pay any charge, not waived, for ordered catering

• All walkers must remain behind the leader, and in front of the back marker. If they need to leave the group, they will inform one or the other

• Members or their guests wishing to attend a walk or lunch must observe deadlines, as stated by the walk leaders on the website and mailings

General guidance for walkorganisers

Please download the full Walk organiser pack from the section Useful Documents. The pack contains all of the information you will need to plan and inform fellow walkers of your intended walk and the responsibilities that you have as a Walk Organiser

The notes below provide guidance on how to organise a club walk. They offer important information and advice for those organising their first walk. These guidelines are also useful to experienced organisers as they highlight any changes or updates and act as a reminder of good practice.

The Randonnée Rurale club has been running walks for over 20 years with a longstanding core membership but we always welcome new members. As a result we are a group of mixed ages and fitness levels therefore the profile of our walks has changed significantly over this time.

There is a general shape to our walks in terms of distance and level of difficulty but no fixed formula. We always enjoy a variety of locations and when it’s appropriate a meal option too. Organisers are encouraged to be creative and develop their own ideas for something a bit different but there’s no pressure because essentially it is all about enjoying the walking experience with friends.

Preparation and finding a route

Currently our walks are on average 10 to 12 kilometre circuits. They happen on the 2nd Monday of the month and generally start at 09h30/10h00. As the majority of our members are living in the north west of the Tarn (around Gaillac, Salvagnac and Castelnau de Montmiral) this is essentially the area we operate in. However we do have members from further afield and therefore we include the Tarn and Garonne within our territory.

The walk formula varies depending upon the seasons and the wishes of the organiser. It might involve a picnic lunch which participants provide for themselves and is taken half way through the walk or it might end with an arranged lunch in a restaurant. The organiser might choose to provide some light refreshments or it can simply be just a walk. Alternatively the walk could be scheduled for the afternoon with the option of regrouping in the evening for a dinner. There is more information below on the option of organising a meal.

In choosing a route many people opt for something close to their home. However you are free to decide on any location that will provide an interesting and enjoyable walk. A new area is always appreciated but we tend to stick within a 50km drive for members to get to the start point. However this is not a rule and walks are occasionally organised further afield.

There are a number of resources for finding a route. The FFRP publish a series of leaflets covering a variety of ready-made and clearly way marked walks. The way marking system (code de balisage) in France is clear and easy to follow.

A committee member will be happy to explain it to you. Also your nearest Office de Tourisme and Mairie will have leaflets and small maps with local walks. These leaflets are inexpensive and sometimes free. Our club has a library of books such as Les Sentiers d’Emilie and Le Tarn à Pied with published walks in the Tarn, Tarn and Garonne.

We also have a large number of Série Bleue maps (French equivalent of ordinance survey maps). This is kept by Vanessa Cousin and you are welcome to borrow them. In addition to printed resources there are websites which also offer ideas for walks. For example: Visorando.com / my.viewranger.com / Tourisme-tarn.com

You may choose to follow a ready-made walk or use the maps and your own local knowledge to adapt a route or create your own. We try to avoid spending too much time on busy roads and much prefer to be on well-defined tracks. Although the seasons will also dictate a preference for using quiet, minor roads versus going cross country. Please submit your walk to the website on a map readable map (ideally a Série Bleue map with a scale of 1:25,000). This is essential for safety purposes as it will indicate the grid references in the event of an emergency. Equally an iPhone or Android mobile phone with a compass app will provide us with location coordinates.

Once you have identified a route you must do a trial walk of the complete walk. If you are organising a walk as a couple you will both need to have a good knowledge of the route and decide who will be the leader and who will be the back marker on the day. If you are a solo organiser you will need to recruit someone who will do the trial walk with you and know the route well enough to act as your back marker. Well attended walks with a group of mixed ability levels have a tendency to get strung out. A back marker is vital to ensure that slower walkers don’t get lost.

The start point should have sufficient parking space and be easy to find.

This trial walk is also important in order to identify any hazards or obstacles, to establish likely weight of traffic on road sections and to know where the weather might create problems or difficulties. This will also enable you to assess the timing of your walk. It is worth noting that many prepared walks are based on a walking speed of 4km per hour however experience tells us that our group walks and talks at a rate of 3km per hour. Obviously the terrain, the number of hills and their steepness will have an impact on the pace. It is also worth noting that on your trial walk you are likely to complete the walk much quicker than the group. Remember you must allow stops for refreshments, pauses to regroup and time to enjoy views.

We do have some members who prefer to join for half a walk and where possible we try to accommodate their wishes. Using the maps and the trial walk hopefully you will be able to identify a convenient spot for them to park a car in order to leave or join the walk. However this isn’t always possible and it is at the discretion of the organiser to decide if the better option is to do the first half or join for the second half… or make the judgement that neither can be done.

Once you have an acceptable route and feel satisfied from your trial walk(s) that potential problems can be avoided or have been resolved then you are ready to move on.

Organising a meal

Please note that there is absolutely no obligation for you to organise a meal and whilst many members do enjoy a restaurant lunch or dinner there is equally no obligation for them to attend one. Essentially we are a walking group and not a dining club.

If your walk involves a picnic lunch the trial walk is an opportunity to find a good spot, possibly with views. Depending on the time of year you will need to consider shade/shelter as necessary. It can work well to complete two thirds of the walk before stopping for a picnic thus leaving less to do after lunch.

Meals in restaurants are enjoyable but it can be difficult to organise given that many are closed on Monday which is the day that we walk. That said, if you feel happy to take on the challenge then finding a restaurant in a convenient location is not impossible and will often be well attended. Many restaurants are happier to offer a later reservation for our group in order to complete the lunch service for their other customers. For a lunch the menu du jour is perfectly acceptable although it is necessary to allow for dietary needs and vegetarian options. It is important to negotiate and fix the price in advance in order to avoid any run away bills. The guideline is a meal costing €20/25 for 3 courses including wine and coffee. We aim to be fair about the cost of drinks and do not run extras onto the bill therefore an aperitif or extra wine should be at members own expense.

When you prepare your walk information for the website you should prepare a description of the meal, ask those with dietary needs to advise you, state the cost, establish the deadline for people booking on and give full details of the address and location of the restaurant. Non-walking partners are welcome to join us for the meal. Of course things happen but please note that if people cancel at short notice we are obliged to offer payment to the restaurant and if accepted they will be charged.

It is a similar process if you opt to organise an evening meal. Dinners tend to be more expensive but choosing a fixed menu helps to control the price.

Periodically there are organised walks with a meal. Notably the June walk and BBQ, in July an early morning breakfast walk, in August an evening walk with moonlit supper and of course the Committee Christmas event in December.

Admin: Preparing and sharing your walk information

You will need to have prepared a full description of your walk and all the relevant details 1 month in advance of the walk. Routinely we aim to post walk details on the website immediately after the previous walk.

As a rule you need to prepare the following information:

• The day, date and time of your walk

• The meeting point and parking information

• A short description of the walk and any special requirements such as sticks, waterproofs, insect repellent, sunscreen, drinking water

• Details of any meal arrangements and venue if relevant

• A suitable map marked with the start, route direction, lunch spot or halfway point and finish. If you need help with the map please contact either of webmasters:

Maurice Cousin: maurice.cousin@la-randonnee-rurale.com or  michael.good@la-randonnee-rurale.com for advice

• Information and timing for those wanting to do a half walk

• The deadline and your contact information (La Randonnee Rurale email ONLY) for booking onto the walk. 

• It is useful to add a mobile phone number (The mobile phone number will NOT be publish on the website but will be included in the email containing the walk reminder details so that if there are any last minute issues you can be contacted on the day

Before the walk it would be helpful to print off several copies of the route map to distribute on the day. Many will print their own copy but it helps to have a few for back up.

Other admin includes:

• • Members Booking form

  • Completion of the Walk Organisers Check List

  • Understanding and carrying a copy of the notes on what to do in an emergency

These documents will be sent to you in advance by our Walk Scheduler, Vanessa Cousin

The Members Booking Form will have the names, phone numbers and email address for all members. We ask you to respect the privacy of individuals and use these contact details solely for walking club business.

This form will be useful for taking reservations in advance and also for checking people in on the day. The mobile phone numbers are provided for contact in the event of last minute changes or a no show.

The Walk Organisers Checklist is an important document both for you and for the club. It contains all the key points that need to be covered in organising and leading a walk. It shows that due diligence has been taken in preparing your walk and that good practice will be observed on the day. In the event of an unexpected incident we can show that care and attention has been taken by the club and the individual organisers.

Please complete this form in advance, bring it to the walk and hand it to a Committee member at the end. We keep these completed forms on file.

You will receive a set of notes which explain what to do if we need help in an emergency. There is a group first aid kit which is carried on all walks to treat minor injuries and some instructions within. However anything more serious might require professional help. Please bring these notes with you on the day of your walk.

Your walk details will also be posted on the Club’s Closed Facebook page – La Randonnée Rurale If you would like to join this group please go to your own Facebook account and search groups for La Randonnée Rurale and request to join.

You can contact members either using their La randonnee email address or you can use the La Randonnee Rurale WhatsApp group to contact all members to post information about your walk. If youi are not a member of the La Randonnee Rurale Whats App group you can join by following this link: La Randonnee WhatsApp Group

Our Walking Group Scheduler Vanessa Cousin, will mail out a reminder of your walk and booking deadline to all members approximately 1 week before the event. She will give them your mobile phone number for contact on the day.

Leading the Walk

On the day you will need to be at the meeting point well in advance to greet your walkers on arrival.

Ensure that you and your back marker have each other’s mobile phone numbers. Distribute maps to those who want one.

In the event of a late arrival you might opt to depart with the majority of the group and the back marker will wait and then endeavour to catch up. If someone is extremely late there is the option to leave a map and your phone number for them.

Be prepared to give a short briefing before departure. This should involve pointing out any particular hazards, crossings or busy road sections. Remind walkers that on roads we should be single file and walk on the left. Point out who is the back marker and state that nobody should fall behind that person. If anyone leaves the route for a call of nature they should leave a rucksack or stick on the path to indicate their absence to the back marker.

It will be necessary to stop and regroup from time to time. Allow refreshment stops and rest breaks.

Keep an eye on the weather and be willing to respond to any appropriate changes. It might be necessary to cancel the walk or cut the route short. If the walk is cancelled but you have a restaurant meal organised we always ask members to attend and honour the reservation.

Above all… enjoy your walk!

Help and advice

If you have any questions about preparing and leading your walk or need any advice please contact our Club Walk Scheduler, Vanessa Cousin at:

vanessa.cousin@la-randonnee-rurale.com (or any other Committee member). 

You will find names and contact details for all committee members at: https://www.la-randonnee-rurale.com/committee 

We are here to help and support you.