Walking in remote countryside

If you or another member of your leadership team is running the activity at an external venue/location, follow these extra steps:

• Arrange for a home contact. Leave any route or other relevant details with your home contact and complete a home contact agreement form. Let them know about any changes to your plans.
• Tell your commissioner.
• Get a copy of the public liability insurance of the activity provider before you book.
• Check you hold the relevant qualification (if one is needed) to run the activity and let your commissioner know you plan to run it yourself. If you aren't sure, speak to your local adviser to check.
• Check with the venue that they have the correct equipment and, if needed, specialist clothing that will meet the needs of your group.
• Get any specialist equipment or clothing needed to run the activity not provided by the venue, and make sure this is in good condition and fit for purpose.
• Check that any equipment is suitably insured by the provider and agree what happens to the equipment if it gets damaged.
• Ask for a copy of the venue's safety guidelines and risk assessment (if relevant).
• Make sure you have the correct ratio of participants (girls, leaders and volunteers) to qualified adults (those running the activity if a qualification is needed). This is different to the ratio of leaders to girls.
• Consider the ability and experience of the participants and any disabilities, access needs or health conditions and plan the session accordingly.

Some venues might ask for a disclaimer or waiver to be signed for each person taking part in the activity. This is something which parents and carers must sign on behalf of their child. You can do this along with the consent form. Parents and carers should be given sufficient information from the provider along with the waiver so they can make an informed decision to sign it or not. Leaders can only sign disclaimers and waivers for their own personal participation. 

Guidance on weather warnings

Leaders are responsible for completing a risk assessment for the walk and deciding if it's safe for a group to complete it. If a weather warning is issued for the area where your walk is due to take place, you must update your risk assessment. The result of this risk assessment will inform you as to your next steps which may include cancelling/rescheduling your walk, considering an alternative route that may be safer or proceeding with your initial plans with additional mitigations in place.

Risk assessments should be updated, and a clear plan of action agreed in regard to the weather warning to ensure the group’s wellbeing and safety. If re-routing the walk due to a weather warning you should ensure that you have thoroughly risk assessed the alternative route and recorded this risk assessment – normally we would expect ‘escape route’ options to be identified in advance.

If the weather warning is issued during your walk or is worse than expected, you must do a dynamic risk assessment. That will result in whether you continue, cancel, or re-route your walk to keep the group safe. A deviation from a planned route due to unforeseen circumstances does not require a recorded risk assessment.

If you're working with an external provider or external instructors to run this activity outside the unit meeting space, follow these extra steps. 

• Arrange for a home contact. Leave any route or other relevant details with your home contact and complete a home contact agreement form. Let them know if you make any changes to your plans.
• Tell your local commissioner.
• Tell the activity provider about the ability and experience of the participants and any disabilities, access needs or health conditions that need to be considered when running the activity.
• Choose a reputable and licensed activity provider (where applicable).
• Check the qualified adults hold the correct qualification to be able to run the activity (see the information below).
• Get copies of the instructor qualifications and public liability insurance of the activity provider before you book.
• Ask for a copy of the providers' safety guidelines and risk assessment.
• Make sure you have the correct ratio of participants (girls and volunteers) to qualified adults (those running the activity). This is different to the ratio of leaders to girls.
• Check with the venue that they have the correct equipment and, if needed, specialist clothing that will meet the requirements for your group.
• Source any specialist equipment or clothing needed to run the activity not provided by the venue, and make sure this is in good condition and fit for purpose.
• Check that any equipment is suitably insured by the provider and agree what happens to the equipment if it gets damaged.

Some venues might ask for a disclaimer or waiver to be signed for each person taking part in the activity. This is something which parents/carers must sign on behalf of their child. You can do this along with the consent form. Parents and carers should be given sufficient information from the provider along with the waiver so they can make an informed decision to sign it or not. Leaders can only sign disclaimers and waivers for their own personal participation.

Check out the information on our walking safety webpage. 

If all of the group are over 18 or the group is walking within 30 minutes from an accessible road or refuge, then the group leader doesn't need to hold a qualification. Note the following:

1. The distance that can be covered in the 30 minutes travelling time will never be more than 2.5 km and will be less if there are uphill sections on the route. It must also be over a route that can be walked safely.
2. A road that doesn't have the width or surface to be used by an ordinary road-going ambulance would not be an accessible road. 

3. A refuge is a building offering shelter for the party in an emergency and it must either be occupied or have some means of summoning help.

However, if any member of the group is under 18 and the group is walking further, the group leader must follow one of the following routes:

Group leaders must:

• Hold the Girlguiding walking scheme level 3 award, and
• Appoint a suitably experienced adult deputy, and
• Know the route from previous experience, and
• Submit the route plan in advance to the Girlguiding walking technical adviser (your country or region walking adviser or the Girlguiding outdoor team walking specialist will be able to provide contact details, alternatively email [email protected].

Or

• Alternatively, group leaders must hold the Mountain Training UK (MTUK) Mountain Leader Award (ML) or higher National Governing Body (NGB) qualification. It's also recommended by Girlguiding that the leader appoints a suitably experienced adult deputy.

All group leaders must hold a recognised first aid qualification with a minimum of 16 hours training and assessment, if possible with an outdoor element. They must also have completed the 1^st response e-learning.

The group leader must hold the MTUK Mountain Leader Winter award if the group is planning to walk where ice or snow is prevalent or forecast and any member of the group is under 18 and the proposed route is further than 30 minutes from an accessible road or refuge.

If the NGB award holder is a Girlguiding member then this qualification should be listed on GO and the qualification must have been re-validated for use with Girlguiding in the last 5 years.

If the NGB award holder isn't a Girlguiding member and the activity isn't taking place at an AALA approved activity centre you should contact [email protected] for further advice.

If walking abroad, the above qualifications and regulations may not be applicable. Contact your walking adviser, or contact [email protected] for more guidance.

Training opportunities                                                   

Discover the great outdoors and gain confidence to lead your girls with our in house walking courses and the Girlguiding walking scheme. You can also use Mountain Training NGB awards to take girls walking.

Young Girlguiding members walking in remote countryside must be supervised by an appropriately qualified adult.

All equipment must be suitable for the walk or expedition being undertaken. You must carry essential first aid and emergency equipment.

If using a commercial provider: if anyone in the group is under the age of 18 and the group is walking further than 30 minutes from an accessible road or refuge, the provider must hold a licence from the Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority (AALA). To confirm a providers listing and what activities are covered, visit the AALA website.

You can verify the quality of a provider by checking it has the Adventuremark or LotC (Learning Outside the Classroom) Quality Badge for adventure endorsements.

AALA and LotC aren't applicable in Northern Ireland, but Sport Northern Ireland confirm the implementation of Adventuremark as a suitable adventure activity accreditation scheme for activity providers in Northern Ireland. Otherwise, you can contact your local outdoor activities adviser to recommend an approved provider.

Guidance on weather warnings

Leaders are responsible for completing a risk assessment for the walk and deciding if it's safe for a group to complete it. If a weather warning is issued for the area where your walk is due to take place, you must update your risk assessment. The result of this risk assessment will inform you as to your next steps which may include cancelling or rescheduling your walk, considering an alternative route that may be safer or proceeding with your initial plans with additional mitigations in place.

Risk assessments should be updated, and a clear plan of action agreed in regard to the weather warning to ensure the group’s wellbeing and safety. If re-routing the walk due to a weather warning you should ensure that you have thoroughly risk assessed the alternative route and recorded this risk assessment – normally we'd expect ‘escape route’ options to be identified in advance.

If the weather warning is issued during your walk or is worse than expected, you must do a dynamic risk assessment. That will result in whether you continue, cancel, or re-route your walk to keep the group safe. A deviation from a planned route due to unforeseen circumstances does not require a recorded risk assessment.

The ratios below are given as a maximum. Ratios must be considered as part of the risk assessment, this may lessen due to any medical conditions, physical ability or other factors.

Leadership team ratio

As this activity will take place outside of your usual meeting place the leadership team ratio is mandatory.

• Rainbows: 1:5 (minimum of two leaders)
• Brownies: 1:8 
• Guides: 1:12
• Rangers: n/a

Groups of Rangers or girls taking part in Duke of Edinburgh expeditions may walk in extreme countryside without an adult leader, but must be supervised by an appropriately qualified adult. This supervisor ensures the participants’ safety and wellbeing during the walk, but does not have to be with the group at all times (for example when being supervised on a Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition). See more guidance on Guides and Rangers walking without a leader.

Qualified adult/participant ratio

The activity leader (qualified adult) should determine what size of group is safe. There must be enough qualified adults to ensure the safety of all participants.

The number will be determined by any limitations placed on their qualification, permit or the rules of their operating organisation as well as the risk assessment. This should take into consideration the location, weather and experience of both the qualified adult and other participants. The leader should assess the risk and any concerns must be raised to them.

• A group size of 4-8 is recommended. Girlguiding Walking Scheme Level 3 holders must always appoint a competent adult deputy and this is recommended for all leaders.
• A qualified adult may supervise more than one group simultaneously. They will determine the number of and size of groups that they can safely manage. The qualified adult retains overall responsibility. Further guidance on remote supervision can be found in the publication Remote Supervision Guidance Notes from Mountain Training.

Forms

• An Information and consent form is required to participate in this activity
• A home contact system should be set up
• A risk assessment form is required for this activity.