Guide to groups

Notes:

• Hours: The hours walked are indicative and any group may do a longer walk from time to time.  This will usually be announced in advance in the meet notice. Do't asume all walks will always be not more than the times indicated above.

• Difficulty: For a full description of the difficulty grading system see https://sites.google.com/site/mountainmeanderswiki/Home/introduction/grading.  As with timing, the grading may also vary from time to time and may be easier or more difficult

• Pace: Pace is hard to quantify.  Brisk to one person is slow to another.  The ratings are approximate and relative. If unsure, try an easier group and graduate to a faster group.  Tell the leader why! 

• Dogs: Some groups do not allow dogs (No), some allow (Yes) and some are Maybe.  In all cases, without exception, the dogs must be sociable and well behaved and owners must carry enough water and follow all normal expected practices of cleaning up, etc. The Maybe exceptions are:

  • Nature Walks - depends on place - some do not allow dogs e.g Kirstenbosch, so ask the leader about each meet first

  • Peninsular Mountain Wanderers - beach walks only

• Full/Not full: The status of a group can change rapidly and a group that is currently full may later have vacancies, and vice versa. At a recent (April 2012) meeting of the Hike Leaders an important decision was made that no member would be "ejected" from U3A walking because they could not keep up with the pace and every effort would be made to accommodate the person in another group, even if that group was technically "full".   The converse also applies i.e. if you are a regular walker with an easier group and wish to move up to another group, every effort will be made to accommodate the "transferee". The Notes above therefor mainly apply to new entrants who have not walked before.