Member story: Anja
"I think England is so rich in its countryside. It's so beautiful. And then it's funny - I've had boyfriends who tell me that I make them discover their own country."
Anja moved to the UK from Germany in 2006 and joined Surrey Young Walkers in 2007. Nearly two decades on, she is one of the club's longest-standing members and one of its most passionate advocates for the benefits of walking in the UK.
Finding her feet
I first lived in Guildford, and I remember buying a little book I found in a bookshop with small walks, and I tried them out - but it's hard to find trails by yourself.
Walking in Germany is very different. I never had to read a map because in Germany you come to the forest, and there's a big board and it tells you there's a 12 kilometre walk called X. You basically just follow signs on trees. But here it's different. Here you come into the woods or the fields and it just says footpath, bridleway. You really have to read a map.
It's all so daunting. You wouldn't do all sorts of walks and go further into terrains that you don't know very well, because it could be potentially dangerous if you don't know your way. So I was looking for some guidance because I wanted to get to know the area that I had moved to.
Discovering the group
I just Googled and found what was then called the Under 40 Walkers. I think I'm probably one of the most long-standing members of the club now.
It's really nice to not always be in charge of your walk. If you go with a group, you can just arrive, somebody leads, and you can just focus on enjoying the day. It's very relaxed.
The walks
My number one favourite walk in the world is the Seven Sisters, down from Eastbourne to Alfriston - the first part of the South Downs walk. I really love the South Downs. I always say when we stand on top of one of those rolling hills and look upon some cliff shores near Lewes. If you try to capture it in a photo, it just doesn't look the same as if you're standing up there and looking around.
I do like a varied walk - a bit of forest, a bit of fields, maybe walk through some olde worlde villages where you can stare at the houses and wonder how people are able to afford them. A walk I love is the first episode of the North Downs, from Farnham to Guildford: forest, fields, nature reserve, villages, the Puttenham pub, the Good Intent pub in the middle, golf courses. It's so varied, it's really lovely.
"I am a strong believer that a walk should end in a pub - either with drinks, or with dinner if it's that time."
I also once organised a mindful walk (only six miles) and I basically said, “we're not talking on this walk; we are listening to all our other senses”. That was a really great experience. I remember people stayed afterwards in the pub and chatted for three hours because they hadn't been allowed to chat on the walk. I always say to people: “don't walk with your headphones on. Listen to nature. It's so healthy. I think it's one of the healthiest hobbies”.
More than walking
I keep coming back because it means I can experience new walks, or walks that somebody's shown me already. But Surrey Young Walkers is a really special group. I don't think every rambler group is like that, to be honest - because of the friendships and all the stuff that has developed that has nothing to do with walking.
I'm part of the book club that years ago started because they said, “oh, we are reading books about walking.” That lasted about four or five books and then they found they were running out of interesting titles - so now it's just a book club about what people want to read. And then there's the quiz night, the boulder climbing, the park runs - all these activities. And the weekends away help, because when you holiday with people, you really get to know them.
There's such a bond in the group at the moment where people have become genuine friends, and that is beautiful to see. I think it is an absolutely fantastic group and a really important circle of friends.
A different kind of welcome
I've walked with another group, and you can literally do an entire walk with them, and not a single person makes the effort to talk with you. That's not the case with Surrey Young Walkers. I can see how newcomers are pulled into conversations and find that connection pretty quickly.
I've brought boyfriends into walking – my current one, Ian – and they tell me that I make them discover their own country. They're English, but they know less of the countryside than me because I've walked since I came here. They go, “Wow, I've never seen this. I never thought this would be here.” The Surrey Hills themselves are maybe not as impressive as a coastal cliff walk, but they are beautiful in their own right. Being at St Martha's for the first time is incredible – that old church on the hill.
There's no pressure involved. It's great that you have the three walks you can try out. Just have a look at the website, sign up, and do it.