MID SUSSEX HEALTHY WALKS
The Park Rangers run a free programme of Healthy Walks across the District. The walks are designed to help you get fit, explore new areas of the beautiful Mid Sussex countryside and to help you get to know other like-minded people in a safe and supportive environment.
Some of the health benefits of walking include reducing high blood pressure, lowering the risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease, and helping to control body weight. Walking can also be great for mental health and to escape the stresses of everyday life.
All the walks are led by trained walk leaders. We have a leader at the front and a back marker at the back so we won't leave anyone behind! The Mid Sussex Healthy Walks scheme is an accredited scheme under the Walking for Health national initiative that is run by Natural England. Visit the Walking the Way to Health website for more information on the national scheme and to find out more about the many wonderful benefits of walking!
The Mid Sussex Healthy Walks scheme has walks taking place on different days of the week for all levels of walker. Please see below for information on the walk levels or download our information leaflet, Healthy Walks in Mid Sussex (550.2kb). For further information about any aspect of Mid Sussex Healthy Walks please feel free to contact the Park Rangers. Crawley and Horsham Health Walks also have walks that take place within the Mid Sussex District, please see below for links to their websites.
Please remember to wear stout boots and appropriate clothing for the weather, this is especially important for levels 2-5 which may involve muddy paths! There is no need to book a place on a walk, just check the prgramme and turn up on the day! New walkers will be required to fill in a short health questionnaire, and we do advise that if you are unsure about walking to check with your doctor first. The health questionnaire can be downloaded on the right hand side of this page.
NEW LOOK HEALTHY WALKS!
This year's exciting expansion of the Mid Sussex Healthy Walks Scheme has seen the introduction of several new walks. This has lead us to re-design the grading system in order to make it easier for people to understand and to choose the walks which best suit them. Please see below to work out what the new grades mean:
Old Grading System New Grading System
Introductory Level 1 = Level 1
Introductory level 2 = Level 2
Healthy Walks + Beginner = Level 3
Healthy Walks + Improver = Level 4
Healthy Walks + Advanced = Level 5
Level 1 = Walks of up to 30 minutes long on paved paths, and flat ground. No stiles.
Level 2 = Walks of between 30 minutes and 1 hour on footpaths. Terrain will be mostly flat, but some slight hills may be unavoidable. No stiles. Distance is 1.5-2.5 miles.
Level 3 = Walks of between 1 and 1 1/2 hours through the countryside, some hills may be encountered. There will be stiles. Maximum distance is 3 miles.
Level 4 = Walks of between 1 1/2 and 2 hours through the countryside, hills will be encountered and some may be steep. There will be stiles. Maximum distance is 5 miles.
Level 5 = Walks of between 2 and 3 hours through the countryside. There will be steep hills and the walk is at a faster pace. There will be stiles. Maximum distance is 7 miles.
Our walks programme is available to download on the right-hand side of this page. Please note the introduction of the brand new level 2 walks, Saturday walks, East Grinstead walks and Bolney cafe walks! You can also find a sheet which details some of the walks offered by Crawley and Horsham Health Walks that take place in the Mid Sussex District. For more information on Crawley and Horsham Health walks, please visit their web pages using the links below. Our level 1 walks take place regularly all through the year:
Every Monday, 10am, Lindfield Common (Meet at the noticeboard at the Backwoods Lane carpark at the top of the Common)
Every Tuesday, 10am, Sidney West Recreation Ground (Meet at Sidney West Recreation Ground, Leylands Road, Burgess Hill)
Volunteer Walk Leaders
Many of our walks are run by trained volunteer walk leaders. Volunteering is a great way to give something back to your community whilst doing something you love and meeting new people at the same time. Volunteers will receive a free 1 -day training course, funded by a grant from the West Sussex Primary Care Trust. Volunteers will be fully supported by the Park Ranger service and you can commit as much or as little time as you like to the scheme. We are always looking for more leaders so that we are able to provide more walks of each level on a variety of days and times so that there is something for everyone to choose from. Please get in touch if you are interested in becoming a volunteer walk leader.
Links to Other Walking Websites
http://www.sussex-pathfinders.co.uk/
http://www.walkswithwheelchairs.com/
http://www.walkswithbuggies.com/
Mid Sussex Ramblers Association
Downloads/Links
Contacts
Park Rangers
Tel: 01444 477561
rangers@midsussex.gov.uk
Bookings and Enquiries
Tel: 01444 477379
bookings@midsussex.gov.uk
