Your Questions Answered...

Section 1 - Quick Overview:

 Q.1.   What is Maghull Rambling Club?

             We are an independent members’ club run on fairly informal lines.  We are affiliated to the Ramblers Association but we are not an official RA Group.  We aim to minimise our committee meetings so that our volunteers can spend their free time organising walks and social events.

 Q.2.   How much does it cost to join?

             Our annual subscription is £10 per person.  Our subscription year starts on 1 ^st. October and ends on 30^th September.  Those who join for the first time after 1^st. April pay just £5.

 Q.3.   Do I have to become a member?

             If you are not sure about joining the club, you can come on one or two of our walks for a ‘taster’ session.  But if you want to continue walking with us we would then expect you to become a member.

 Q.4.   How do I join?

           The easiest way to join is to come along to one of our monthly meetings (see Q.5 below) and pay your subscription.  No forms, no fuss – just give us your name, address and phone number.  Alternatively you can send your details by post to our Membership Secretary:

 * Geff Williams, 19 Hathaway, Maghull, L31 8AU.

             Please make cheques payable to "Maghull Ramblers".

 Q.5.   Where do you hold your meetings?

           These are held in the Dunkirk Suite, Maghull Royal British Legion, Liverpool Road South, Maghull (near the Red Lion Bridge).

             Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month, starting at 7.30pm. See the Monthly Club Nights page for further details.

 Q.6.   What kind of walks do you organise?

           We have walks to suit all ages and abilities.  See the Programme of Walks page for further details.

 Q.7.   How do I choose a walk to suit me?

           There are three things to consider:

q       The grade of the walk.

q       The amount of climbing.

q       The time taken.

 We grade our walks as:

Strenuous (S);

Hard (H);

Moderate (M); or

Easy (E).

Further information is shown in our Programme of Walks page.  If you haven’t done much walking before, we suggest that you choose one of the easier walks to start with.

 Q.8.   How do I get to the start of the walk?

           We use three different means of transport:

q       Coach.

q       Own car.

q       Public transport.

We arrange a monthly coach trip, which is very popular and seats are normally booked in advance at our monthly meeting.  The current fare is £12 for members and £15  for non-members.

For trips by own car or public transport, just turn up at the meeting point shown in the programme.  For the car trips staring at Central Square, Maghull, we provide directions to reach the starting point of the walk.

Q.9.   What should I wear on the walk?

It all depends on the type of walk and the time of the year.  On a separate page: What to wear on walks we offer advice about clothing and equipment for those who want to go on more hard or strenuous hill walks, especially in Winter.  But you wouldn’t need all of that if you were going on say, a Summer evening walk in the surrounding countryside.  But whatever you choose, we do recommend that you always wear a pair of walking boots.  Trainers are not really suitable for walking over rough ground.

Q.10.          Do you organise social events?

Yes, we do.  At our monthly club night, there is nearly always some kind of social event organised after the notices have been read out.  See the Monthly Club Nights page for further details.  We also have an annual dance and in December, a ‘Santa Special’ coach trip followed by a Christmas meal.

Q.11. Do you organise any holidays?

          Yes, we do.  We have three kinds of weekend breaks to suit everyone:

q       Budget-priced weekends in a self-catering chalet with dormitory accommodation.

q       Hotel weekends with travel by own transport.

q       Hotel weekends with coach travel and excursions included.

On all weekends we arrange optional walks to suit the party.  See the Short Break Holidays  page for further details.

Q.12. Any other questions?

          Contact our Chairman:

Peter Neild  ( 0151-526 0140.

Section 2. In this section, you will find more detailed information on the following areas. Simply click on that area to jump down to it.

1. Newcomers - for those wanting to join or find out more.
2. Membership Information - how little it costs to join.
3. What to Wear on Walks - advice on the gear you'll need to be comfortable and safe.
4. Technical - how to quote a grid reference and adjusting for Magnetic North.
5. Leaders of Walks - experienced walk leaders on every walk.

Newcomers

Newcomers are always welcome. Just come along to our monthly TUESDAY meeting at the address below and book on the next coach trip or for a day walk. See Programme of Walks for details.

Or  telephone Peter Neild on 0151 526 0140 or write to him at 93 Deyes Lane, Maghull, Liverpool. L31 6DF. 

Club address:

Maghull British Legion - Dunkirk Suite at Maghull Royal British Legion, Liverpool Road South, Maghull (near the Red Lion Bridge). 
 

Membership Information

Membership costs just £10 p.a. (Children under 16 free). The membership year runs from the start of October to the end of September

[Jump to TOP]

What to Wear on Walks

If you are new to hill walking you are advised to bring the following with you on a club walk:

• Hill walking boots that you have "broken in"
• Trekking socks or thick woollen socks, and depending on your own preference, thin nylon liner socks
• Waterproof jacket and over trousers
• Leg Gaiters- invaluable for wet/muddyterrain,
• hat and gloves
• Warm trousers in winter - jeans are not advised
• A fleece and spare shirt and/or top
• rucksack
• Packed lunch and energy food (say 600 grams in total). Plus at least a litre of water - more in hot weather.

Optional Extras to Consider:

• small first aid kit including plasters!
• walking pole(s) (see below)
• mobile phone
• torch, map and compass
• GPS
• whistle

Many members now use specialised clothing, e.g.: base layers and fleeces made of polyester that "wick" the moisture away from your skin to keep you drier and more comfortable on demanding walks and serious ascents that are found on the "A" walks.

Other specialised garments include mixed fibre trekking socks, wind block fleeces and hats, available from good outdoor clothing shops. 

But be careful not to overload your rucksack. A rucksack weight of up to 12 - 15lbs should be sufficient for most day walks.

When coming down off a mountain walking poles reduce wear and tear on knee joints especially if you use two together. Good poles are spring etc assisted so as to cushion impact.

Find out the weather forecast and make sure you are prepared for wet weather even if it is not forecast!

On hot/humid days travel light but carry sufficient water.

[Jump to TOP]

Technical

To quote a grid reference:-

1. Holding the map in the normal upright position note the number of the vertical blue grid line to the left of your perceived position! e.g. - 71
2. Imagine the space between the grid lines is divided into ten equal divisions. Estimate the number of tenths that lie between your position and the grid line (in step 1) to the left say 5 tenths. Add this to the number above to give a 3 figure reference of 715.
3. Note the number of the blue horizontal grid line immediately below your position. e.g. 22.
4. Estimate the number of tenths that lie between line 22 and your position. e.g. 4. add this to the grid line number in 3 above to give a 3 figure grid reference of 224.
5. The important 6 figure grid reference is therefore 715224.
6. To complete the full reference look at the information section of the map and prefix your 6 figure reference with the 100,000 metre Grid Square Identification letters, e.g.., NY715224. You may also need to give the name of your map e.g. Landranger or outdoor leisure.

Or you could buy a GPS!

Adjusting for Magnetic North.

When taking a bearing from the map you will have aligned the compass using the blue grid lines and your resulting compass reading will therefore be by reference to "grid north".

When you take your compass off the map it will read by reference to "magnetic north" and so your bearing will be slightly inaccurate.

In order to adjust from grid north to Magnetic north look at the information on your map which will tell you the variation for that area. If your map is not a recent one you should update the variation using the information printed on the map.

Having determined the "variation" add it to your compass bearing. for example the variation in the Lake District is about 4 degrees. If your compass bearing off the map is reading say 154 degrees then add 4 to obtain a magnetic bearing of 158 degrees.

If you are taking a bearing for a short leg of the walk then  adjusting for the variation is not critical except of course in mist or at night.

[Jump to TOP]

Leaders of walks

Each of the Club's organised walks included in the Club "official" printed programmes are led by an experienced club member who carries a compass and the correct map for the area.

The walk leader will have either, carried out a detailed "reccy" of the actual walk, or the area will be well known to him/her from previous walks.

If you want to become a walk leader come along to one of our planning meetings.

[Jump to TOP]