What we’re about
What We Do:
We are a countryside walking group. Although our team are Hastings based, our walks throughout the year will cover much of East Sussex and into the edges of Kent. We therefore very much welcome members from outside of the Hastings area to join us on our walks.
Weather permitting, we will usually have a walk on every weekend between the start of March and the end of November, and probably a few winter walks too. The distance of the walks will usually vary between 5 and 8 miles, however we may throw in the odd longer walk.
We expect members of the group to be capable of walking a minimum of 5 miles at an average pace on rugged terrain.
We do have Group Rules that we expect our members to adhere to and these can be found at the end of this section.
Application Requirements:
Please ensure that your ‘Profile Name’ includes your first name. The use of initials only, such as TC, BLT, JR, or similar, is not acceptable in this group. You can edit your Profile Name in 'Edit Profile' if needed.
Please ensure that your profile displays a recent photo of yourself alone that includes your face, head, and shoulders. You can load a new profile photo in your profile ‘Settings’.
Membership Fees:
An of 1st September 2024 an Annual Membership Fee of £5 will now apply to all members of this group in order to attend the walks. The fee will be non-refundable regardless of the reason for not attending walks, the lack of availability of walks, or for whatever reason a member might leave the group. The fee must be paid when, or before, you attend your first walk in the current annual membership period. The membership period runs from 1st September to 31st August. There is no charge for members who attend their first walks in August.
The accounts of members who have not paid a membership fee within an annual membership period may be removed at the end of that period, however the member can simply reapply if they wish to attend walks in the future.
Any 'Guests' of members who attend our walks must pay a fee of £2 per walk or alternatively join the group themselves and pay the annual membership fee.
- If you wish to pay your annual membership fee by bank transfer, please contact Norman Crouch by personal message through Meetup who will provide you with their bank details to which your payment of £5 should be made. Once you have made your payment please message them again confirming this, including details in your message of your name as it appears on your bank account so that they can trace your transaction. This is the preferred method of payment.
- If you would prefer to pay your annual membership fee by cash, please place £5 in an envelope that has your full name clearly written on the front of it, and pass it to the walk leader before the walk commences. After the walk please contact Norman Crouch by personal message through Meetup advising them that you have passed a payment to the walk leader.
Group Rules:
1) Reserving a Place at an Event
a) Only reserve a place on an event if you have a clear intention of attending it. If you are unsure whether you want to go, or may not be available, then please do not reserve a place until nearer the time of the event. The practice of members not showing up at events when their event status is ‘Going’, or regularly reserving places on events and then withdrawing at the last minute is not welcomed. This inconveniences Event Organisers, and members may be removed from the group if the Leadership Team considers that this is happening too frequently.
b) If you require transport to get to an event then use the event 'Comments' to request this, stating your whereabouts. If you are fortunate enough to be offered a lift by another member, then please offer to contribute to their costs. Do not directly approach another member requesting a lift. Do not RSVP to the event until your transport has been confirmed.
2) Bringing Guests
a) Some events may provide a member with the opportunity to bring 'guests' with them. If they do then please use the 'Guest +' feature on the Event RSVP if you wish to bring a guest(s) with you.
b) Only persons who have not previously been a member of this group are permitted to attend with the member as a 'guest'. Anyone who has previously been a member of the group who wishes to attend must reapply and have their application approved before being permitted to attend an event.
c) Members are responsible for their guests at all times.
3) Event ‘Comments’
a) The Event ‘Comments’ feature may be used for any of the following:
- To request information about the advertised event.
- To provide short notice advice that you are no longer able to attend (also update via ‘edit RSVP’).
- To request transport to an event.
- Should you wish to do so, to make positive comments about the event after it has taken place.
b) Under NO circumstances is the ‘Comments’ feature to be used for any of the following:
- To criticise the event or the Event Organiser.
- To provide advice (however constructive).
- To request alterations to any aspect of the event (the content of an event is for the Event Organiser to decide, and if you feel that any part of it does not accommodate your requirements then please refrain from attending the event or commenting on it).
- To make sarcastic, abusive, or otherwise offensive remarks, however humorous the intention.
- Regardless of whether it relates to 'Meetup' or not, to advertise items or services that are for sale, other groups or organisations, or other events or activities.
4) During the Event
a) You are responsible for your own safety and wellbeing throughout the event. The group accepts no responsibility for any injury or loss that you may incur while attending our events. The Event Host (and/or Event Organiser) is to all intents and purposes another event attendee, and they hold no legal responsibility for any difficulties that may arise during the event. If you or another attendee at an event becomes unwell please alert the Event Host immediately.
b) Any person making comments at an event that are liable to cause offence will be given a warning by the Event Host. Should the warning be ignored, the Event Host will ask the person to leave the event.
c) Discussions about politics and religion are strictly off-limits at all events.
d) We pride ourselves in being a friendly and inclusive group. We therefore disapprove of attempts to form ‘cliques’ within the group. We want all our members to be welcome at any event that is associated with this group.
e) If you have any concerns during the event, then please refer them directly to the Event Host.
5) After the Event
a) If you have any concerns after the event then please send a personal message to the Event Host in the first instance. If the Event Host has not been able to resolve your concerns to your satisfaction, please send a personal message to the Group's Co-Organiser who will do their best to resolve them.
b) If you enjoyed the event, and others that we host, then please mention our group to your friends.
6) General Etiquette and Safeguarding
a) Great effort is made by our team to organise events and to ensure members enjoy participating in this group. Members are expected to act in a manner that eases pressure on the Organisers. Any form of abuse aimed at the Organisers will lead to a member's instant removal and barring from the group.
b) Please act in a friendly manner towards other members, both at events or in communications outside of the events. You should not however harass, stalk, pester, or give any other form of unwanted attention to other members. This is not a dating site, it is a social group. It is important that all members can feel safe. We reserve the right to remove from our group any member who does not observe this. We also recommend that members report any such instances to Meetup. The following link refers:
**https://help.meetup.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001673631-Harassment-and-bullying-offline**
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Punnett's Town 'Bluebell' WalkPunnetts Town Village Hall, Heathfield
Punnett's Town 'Bluebell' Walk:
Update 30/4/25:
For anyone who hasn't heard of Punnett's Town, as you'll see from the map it's just south of Heathfield and about 15 miles and a 30 minute drive from either Hastings or Eastbourne. The weather looks like being dry on Sunday and slightly cooler than it has been the last few days.This is a circular walk of 6.25 miles through fields and woods to the south and west of Punnett's Town. There will be lovely spring scenery including carpets of bluebells. We will pass through Kemp's Wood and Green Wood.
We will walk at a medium pace and there will be interesting features to stop and look at along the way including a windmill. Although just over 6 miles, the terrain is quite challenging, including a steep hill up to the windmill.
We will take a 20 minute break when we reach Green's wood. You might want to bring something to sit on. There will not be an opportunity to purchase food during the walk, so please bring a packed lunch if you wish to eat anything when we take the break.
To attend our walks a £5 annual memberhip fee is payable to cover the membership period, which runs from the 1st September to 31st August. If you wish to attend this walk and have not yet paid your £5 annual membership fee, please approach the Walk Leader at the start of the walk and pay them £5 in cash, preferably in an envelope with your full name clearly written on it. Alternatively if you wish to pay by bank transfer, then prior to attending the walk contact Norman Crouch the Group Organiser via personal message on Meetup or by text on 07503 142469 and he will provide you with his bank details to enable you to pay your fee before this event commences. Any guests of members must pay a fee of £2 per walk on the day, or join the group and pay the £5 membership fee.Assembly in the Punnett's Town Village Hall car park:
We will assemble at 10:45am. The walk will commence at 11am, or sooner if all attendees are present.Travel and Parking:
Parking is available in the village hall carpark. Please take note of any charges or restrictions, should there be any, when arriving at the carpark.
If you need a lift to get to the event, then you may use event 'Comments' to request this, stating your whereabouts. If you are fortunate enough to be offered a lift by another member, then please offer to contribute to their costs. Do not RSVP to the event until your transport has been confirmed.
If you are coming by public transport, the Stagecoach planner is excellent and even gives you a map of the journey.
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journeyAdditional Information:
Any queries please contact me on 07503 142469.
🐕 Dogs are welcome on this walk, as long as they are kept on a lead for the full duration of the walk, if you clear up after them, and if you are able to keep up with the rest of the group. There are stiles to negotiate and only some of them have dog gates so you will be responsible for getting your dog across them.
Walking boots and strongly recommended for our walks. Walking shoes may be suitable for summer walks when the ground is dry. Where a lot of mud is expected we will usually make you aware of this in which case you may wish to wear wellies. Please bring a light waterproof jacket if rain is forecast.
Please adhere to our Group Rules at all times. These can be found in our group's 'What we're about' section:
https://www.meetup.com/east-sussex-walking/
Should you need to amend your RSVP, then please do so in a timely manner. Rule 3) of our Group Rules refers.
