Member story: Seb
"I should have joined earlier. I waited one month and a half."
Seb moved to the UK from Bucharest, Romania, in the summer of 2024 and joined Surrey Young Walkers just six weeks later in July. He'd always wanted to join a hiking group and go on walks, but couldn’t do it in Romania from where he moved. He waited only six weeks after arriving before showing up to his first walk.
Wrong Crowd
Before moving to the UK, I thought I was an introvert. It seems like I wasn't; it was just the wrong crowd. I’d had the desire for a long time to be part of a hiking group and go on hikes, but I couldn't really do it in Bucharest. I also thought I couldn't do any sports because I had some back issues, and just walking seemed like a good idea for me, so that's why I picked it. I was feeling a little bit lonely, but it was normal – I had just moved in, and I didn't know anyone.
Regular walks
I searched Surrey hiking online, and the group was the first thing that popped up in my search. About ten walks were starting from Guildford, from the train station every weekend.
It was a bit difficult the first day, but I loved it so much on my first Saturday that I came the next day as well.
Not Your Usual Hiker
I'm not your usual hiker because I don't pay attention to any routes we are going. I just like the vibe, I like walking with people. Usually in my first hour and a half I might think ‘the weather is bad, why did I sign up for this?’ But after an hour or so, I'm always happy that I went outside.
The first time when it rained, I realised I didn't have the right shoes, so I bought a new pair. Sunscreen, sunglasses, and my umbrella - other than that, no issues.
Shoulder To Shoulder
It really helped with my confidence in speaking with people. You will walk for hours, and let's say you're in a small group, ten, twelve people, and the walk is like six hours long. At some point you'll end up shoulder to shoulder with someone and you'll have to start speaking, and you'll see if you're vibing or not.
"I really loved that boat trip. I like the socials."
The boat trip is my favourite memory – not because it was easier just being on a boat, but it was a really, really good afternoon. Another good one is going on a pub crawl walk - seven pubs in one day. There are a lot of good moments, I can't really mention one. Just stopping for lunch and catching up with people, someone's birthday. My pal, Andrew, introduced me to a lot of people and he made it easy for me.
Just Give It A Try
I don't think anyone is judged or pushed away. I'd say just give it a try, pick a short walk, an easy walk, and just come and see who's joining. You might like it, you might come back.