Hi C.J,
Have you tried the “Walking to Health” scheme in your region? This is free guided walks, led by trained volunteers. It used to be run in partnership with the NHS, but has recently been taken over by MacMillan Cancer Support, and the Ramblers Association.
However, you do NOT have to have cancer (or any medical condition) to join the walks. Although it was originally aimed at people who needed to work on their fitness for medical reasons (morbidly obese, post-operative etc), the take up has been far greater amongst ordinary members of the public, with no specific medical problem, who just want to improve their general fitness.
I’ve done very few this year - but mostly because of the dire weather, not because of my condition. I do get very nervous when it’s slippery underfoot, which it has been a lot, as it’s hardly stopped raining, so this has not been a good year walk wise.
But all the walks are graded in terms of distance and difficulty, so you get as much guidance as possible about whether they will be suitable. You can check in advance if there are steps, uneven ground, stiles, or it’s likely to be muddy. They also tell you if there’s a loo or any refreshments at the assembly point (the walks are all circular, so you get back to where you started).
It tends to be mostly retired people go on them, so I’m often by far the youngest. But many of them are experienced walkers, so that doesn’t mean there’s no pace. But there are always guides front AND back (sometimes more), so if the group gets too widely dispersed, the front will stop to let the stragglers catch up.
Some walks offer a choice of length and/or difficulty, so if, for example, there is a steep section, there may be an option for the less confident walkers to go round that bit, and meet back up further on.
I don’t know if this might, in fact, prove too easy for you, if you are still able to tackle hills and mountains. I have tackled all grades of walk, except for the very hardest, which are listed as more “challenging” walks, for the experienced walker. But there are not very many of those: most are chosen to be accessible to a wide cross-section of people.
You do not have to pre-book, or commit to a certain number of walks. You just turn up to the ones you fancy. I like it that you do NOT get pestered if you don’t go for a while - it’s not like boot camp!
For insurance purposes, you have to complete a short form before the first one (I did, anyway), and tell them about any medical conditions. I didn’t find that intrusive, because it helps that the leaders know I have hidden problems. They can make sure there’s a “catcher” standing by to watch me over the stiles, and that kind of thing. All the walks are researched in advance, which is how they can rate how difficult they are.
Hope this might help, but I have a feeling you’re going to say it’s one of the schemes you’ve already tried…
Tina