Member story: Andrew
"It's friendly, non-discriminatory and non-judgmental, and caters to quite a wide range of different walking tastes."
Andrew moved to Guildford from Basingstoke and took his first Surrey Young Walkers hike in 2019, just weeks before the pandemic brought everything to a halt. Now one of the group's most active walk leaders, his story is one of a new city, a fresh start, and the surprising depth of connection you can find on a footpath.
A New Town, A Blank Slate
I moved from Basingstoke to Guildford, and wanted to find people who knew the area better. I've always been into hiking, but I didn't know the area as well, so I wanted to find ways to explore it.
At the time, I was in my early 30s. It's quite difficult sometimes to make friends at that age because most of your school friends are rightly focusing on their new family lives. So it was a means of trying to meet people and make a friendship group.
Finding the Group
I found Surrey Young Walkers online and went on a hike, and I really enjoyed it. Then, annoyingly, the pandemic hit. So that interrupted things. But as soon as walks started up again, even in smaller groups, I was coming along on a fairly regular basis.
The young element of it was also appealing. A lot of the other hiking groups tend to walk during the week and have retired people in, which isn't a problem in itself, but it was just nice that these walks happen at the weekend.
"I like planning my own hikes, but it's nice if somebody else has planned it all for you - particularly if they can show you parts of the county you're not as familiar with."
Out on the Hills
The average walk is about 12 miles or so, starting at a nice time on a Saturday morning – sometimes that even gives me time to do Parkrun first. There's a nice little interlude before the walk starts where you get to see who's going to turn up, and can meet new people. Every walk tends to have a smattering of people you'll already know if you're a regular member, combined with new people. I think it's got a nice mix in that regard, and that stops it from becoming too cliquey. And then there's a lunch stop, which is always a good time to chat, and I'm always a fan of the pub stop in the afternoon.
More Than Miles
I probably have more friends now than at any point in my existence, which is nice. And those friendships extend beyond the walks – some people I go running with, others I play sport with.
I've led more than 20 walks now, and I organised the group's trip to North Wales – that involved developing some skills in terms of coordinating and trying to organise a trip that would please a range of people. One night in particular was really lovely: the sunset came right down, the moon came out, and we spotted otters in the lake.
"On a hike, it's quite low intensity. You don't have to talk, but you can. And it's quite organic in the way that you end up talking to different people just by the very nature of it."
A Word to the Undecided
I think it's genuinely difficult now to meet people – there's been a decline in some of the institutions people would have previously met through like churches and political parties. Hiking is an accessible thing, and it's a good way to talk to people.
The group attracts an independently minded and quite quirky type of person, generally, which keeps it particularly interesting. We have a pretty broad range of opinions and personalities. It really is friendly and non-judgmental, and it caters for quite a wide range of different walking tastes.