Member story: Adam

"You get to go to all sorts of places and you hit that fitness, getting out and about, spending time with people. I think there's a lot of benefits to it."

Adam moved to Guildford about three years ago and joined Surrey Young Walkers in May 2024 after a tip from his nan and a Facebook post. A lifelong walker who'd drifted into running, he found in the group not just a route back to the hills, but the foundation of his social life in a new town.

Back to the Boots

I've been walking since I was a kid, really - Scouts, Explorers, always out with my granddad. It's a lifelong thing, but I kind of dropped off walking for a while and started running more. And then as I got older, I realised I wanted to get back into it.

Running has its limits. Everyone just talks about times the whole time – it's purely fitness. There's not the social element that you get walking, which I prefer now. My mum pulled me up on it, too. I was paying for a flat in Guildford but going back to Horsham every weekend. She said, “well, what's the point if you're not going to get to know people? You can't just run and go to the gym”. I realised I actually needed to do something more social here.

Double nudge

My nan sent me a link. I had a look on the website, thought, that's cool, and then just dropped it. Then later, I put a post up on a Facebook group for Guildford  “Is there a good way to get to know people here?” and someone put Surrey Young Walkers in. I thought, wait, I've been planning to do that already.

One thing that had always put me off was that I didn't have a driving licence at the time. But I looked on the website and realised there are walks from train stations.

"You're not just talking about walking - you're talking about anything and everything."

Knuckling Down

It started off quite light - I maybe went once a month, then I'd go back to Horsham for the next two weekends because I had a bunch of pre-arranged stuff. After about a year I thought, I'm actually quite enjoying this, I like the people, I need to knuckle down a bit. So I started going to more walks, giving people lifts and chatting to people in the car. And then I just thought, stuff it, I'm going to lead one.

From a social aspect it's had a massive difference – it's basically become the grounding of my social life in Guildford. Taking a move to a town where you haven't lived before is a big gamble for anyone. I didn't know how on earth it was going to work out, but it's probably because of the group that it has. There's a leadership aspect there as well. I'm in a managerial  job, but leading walks has pushed me to be more proactive, organise things, be responsible for other people, and apply that in a non-work context.

Walks Worth Taking

I love seeing new stuff and spending time with people. I quite like being out and about - I get really bored at home. On a walk, you can talk about anything and everything. If I want to talk to someone about cheese, or what I did yesterday, or had for dinner, I can. I like that variability.

Now I'm leading walks. A massive part of it for me is there just has to be stuff to look at. I've deliberately put walks with viaducts, war cemeteries, church paintings and stuff like that. I want there to be something which gives it a bit of a theme or an energy – a bit of a USP.

Everyone Gets a Chat

I found everyone very inclusive and welcoming. I remember chatting to Anja – she's been here twenty years – at the Brockham Bonfire, which was only my fourth event. That kind of says it all, really. The regulars are very chatty, and even when you get different people along each week, that welcome is just there. I led a walk last year, had two new people, and both of them were still coming seven or eight months later. I think that's pretty emblematic of how the group is.

Come Along, Try One

I'd just encourage people to go for it. Come along, try one. If you don't like it, you don't have to come back. And if you like it, you can stick with it. You get the three walks free — you might as well give it a pop and see if it's for you.

You don't even need to talk to people. You can enjoy the scenery and have a drink and go home. That's what you make of it, really. Everyone's very welcoming, very friendly, you get to go to all sorts of places. You meet people from a lot of backgrounds and cultures. There's a lot of benefits to it.