Countryside Group I is a group of Members of the U3A in Bath who enjoy not-too-strenuous monthly walks. We do 3-4 mile walks, mainly within a 10 miles radius of Bath at venues previously agreed. Occasionally we go further afield, and usually finish with a pub lunch.

We achieve a varied and interesting programme by sharing the leadership of the walks. In January we meet to discuss where we are going to walk in the coming year, and who is going to lead each month. We ask for volunteers in pairs – two for each walk (a leader and a back-stop).

We are an easy-going and friendly group; we like to pause and enjoy the scenery, look at buildings, examine plants and flowers, identify birds as we go along, and always rest after climbing a steep hill. We carry a snack and drink. We walk along footpaths, bridleways and quiet lanes. The only agility test we have is to be able to get over stiles, and we do also need to be able to walk up to four miles in 2 ½ hours, so that we do not keep a pre-ordered pub-lunch waiting.

Countryside Group I has a limit of 20 active members. We regard this as a sensible number as it normally results in about 14 members participating in one walk. More than that and the queues for getting over stiles become extended. The number walking also affects where we can arrange to go for lunch. We mostly use smaller country pubs, where food is generally cooked to order, and a large party could easily overload kitchen and bar staff to the detriment of locals and ourselves.

Ours is a group of members of the U3A in Bath who enjoy not-too-strenuous monthly walks. We do three- to four-mile walks, mainly within a 10 mile radius of Bath and meeting at venues previously agreed. In the summer months we sometimes take picnics and occasionally go further afield, otherwise we conclude with a pub lunch.

We achieve a varied and interesting programme by sharing amongst ourselves the job of leading the walks. In January we meet to talk about what we are going to do in the coming year, and who is going to take the lead each month. We ask for volunteer leaders in pairs - two for each walk.

We are an easygoing and friendly group; we like to pause to enjoy the scenery, to look at buildings, to examine plants and flowers, and sometimes to rest after climbing a steep hill. Our walks mix quiet roads with lanes, foot-paths and fields. The only agility test we have is the ability to get over reasonable stiles.

Our membership

The Countryside Group has a limit of 18 - 20 active members. We regard this as a sensible number as it normally results in about 15 members participating in any one walk. More than that and the queues for getting over stiles become extended. The number walking also affects where we can arrange to go for lunch. We mostly use smaller country pubs because these tend to cook food to order, and a large party of walkers could easily overload kitchen and bar staff to the detriment of regulars and ourselves.

We hope to meet interest in membership flexibly and with common sense. If and when we need to run a waiting list we will as far as possible avoid keeping prospective members on it indefinitely, and we will keep them informed of progress towards joining us.