I WAS surprised and a little saddened by the letter from Eric Gribbon (October 27) concerning the cessation of Glasgow Life's programme of led walks.
Surprised that any local authority has been so heavily involved in organising walks and in paying people to lead them. Saddened that Mr Gribbon will not entertain the idea of joining, let alone starting up, a walking club. He does not explain why this is so, but I can assure him that if he does so, he will save himself a small fortune.
There are hundreds of walking clubs, of all types and sizes, all over Scotland.
Ramblers' Association clubs are probably the best known, but there is also a wide choice of others, to suit all tastes and capabilities.
The small club I belong to does a different half-day walk every week, accessed by local buses, so is free to those of us with a bus pass. For longer walks, farther afield, we car-share. Leaders lead walks for the sheer enjoyment of sharing their enthusiasm for healthy outdoor activity.
Our small annual subscription covers our third-party insurance costs, and is much less than the cost of just one day's outing with Glasgow Life. Go for it, Mr Gribbon - you have nothing to lose, and possibly the new skills of map-reading and route planning to gain.
Hilary Shearer,
Avonhead Avenue,
Cumbernauld.
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