FARNHAM WALKER

Roughly once a month. These are not on any set day of the week, nor on any set "number" of the month. One month may be Monday 17th and the next perhaps on Wednesday 21st. It varies according to how the mood takes me. Click here for the upcoming diary of walks. HOWEVER, if you are a subscriber I will email you a month beforehand to advise of the following month's programme. Click the Contact Link to subscribe. I prefer to use the phrase "How often do you organise walks?" as the effort involved in "running walks" is too much for my weary old frame. I gave up running when I left school. And please don't ask if I can unicycle. We met the lad in the photo coming down Crooksbury Hill. I think he was a) extremely talented, b) amazingly fit, c) totally insane.

Generally I prefer to lead walks of between 8 and 12 miles. This is the normal length of my monthly friends' walks. But if you would like a walk either longer or shorter, message me and I can chat about setting up a special one for you. Contact here.

For friends' walks and short-notice walks, Nothing, Nada, Nichts. All these walks are entirely free. No costs, no 'retiring collection', no 'tips expected', no annual fee or joining fee. Very occasionally I might beg a lift to the start point and very occasionally we might visit a pub/cafe after the walk. However, I'm just as likely to buy you a drink as to expect you to buy me one. Why do I do it if it's not for the money? I love walking and I love sharing this passion with other people. It's that simple. I also enjoy walking myself and occasionally enjoy company, so offering to lead walks is killing two stones with one bird. For bespoke walks, I might make a small charge. This will be based on my time and effort in researching the walk, reconnoitering it and transport costs to and from the start/finish. Any profit made will be donated by me to my favoured charity, the National Trust. (Apologies to any vegan or squemish readers)

Bookings are not compulsory, but it helps with management. If you book, I will contact you by email to give you an update on start times and walk conditions a few days before the walk. Without this, if the weather changes or there are special circumstances, I cannot contact you. I do not accept any consequences for changed or cancelled walks involving people who have not registered (or do not read their emails). One thing I do ask is if you have booked and wish to cancel, that you email or phone me and let me know, so we are not waiting for you at the start. Email: info@farnhamwalker.co.uk Tel: 07496 169224

There's no SPECIAL equipment needed, beyond what walkers would wear for rambling in the Surrey and Hamshire countryside. You should have well-soled walking boots or shoes, waterproof clothing and normally I ask you to bring a packed lunch. A mobile phone might help, but is not compulsory. I always make a visual check of your kit before we set off and I reserve the right not to take anyone who I deem unsuitable or unsuitably dressed for the event. If you turned up on one of my walks wearing ONLY blue speedos, I might suggest you needed a little more clothing ... Photo of Speedo Mick from his GoFundMe page - https://www.gofundme.com/f/speedomick-1000-ml-charity

Most monthly walks are attended by between 8 and 20 people. If the party gets much bigger than this, it's hard to keep an eye on everyone and make sure everyone is safe and enjoying themselves. In the event of a large number of people booking, I will generally try to split the walk over two separate dates. There is no minimum number. Private, bespoke walks can be organised for any number of people, depending on the route requested. For private walks, I might make a small charge. This will be based on my time and effort in researching the walk, reconnoitering it and transport costs to and from the start/finish. Any charge so made will be donated by me to my favoured charity, the National Trust.

Sadly, dogs on leads are not generally welcome. Teddy bears and similar mascots ARE welcome, well-behaved or not. Mr "T" will take care of them. We would also prefer for operational reasons that you do not bring aardvarks, giant pandas, goldfish, pet mosquitoes, kangaroos, spiders, snakes, other creepy crawlies or wild horses.

Bearing in mind the length of the walks, children under the age of 16 are not normally encouraged. However, younger children can be accepted as long as a parent accompanies them and we are all happy the child can complete the walk in a reasonable time. It goes without saying that some youngsters can easily outpace the rest of us and obviously they should be banned for showing us all up.

With pleasure. If you have a group, a family or want a special walk for two, please ask me. I have a large library of walks I can organise around Farnham and the local countryside. These vary from short informational walks around Farnham to longer rambles up to about 25 miles in a day. Just contact me. For these walks, I might make a small charge. This will be based on my time and effort in researching the walk, reconnoitering it and transport costs to and from the start/finish. Any profit made will be donated by me to my favoured charity, the National Trust.

Regrettably I can't. I am not an authorised travel agent and cannot organise things like getting here or hotels. You have to make your own travel and accommodation arrangements. However, if you're interested in bringing a group to Farnham for walking and you need an experienced guide to lead you when you're here, just ask. I can put together an entire itineraryfor a great walking adventure. For bespoke walks, I might make a small charge. This will be based on my time and effort in researching the walk, reconnoitering it and transport costs to and from the start/finish. Any profit made will be donated by me to my favoured charity, the National Trust.

If you have any further questions, please simply ask. Click here for the ubiquitous contact form. No question is too stupid and I will answer anything I can. The only thing I have no control over is the weather. If you want to know whether May 8th will be sunny, you have to ask a higher power.