Walking is one of the most natural physical exercises imaginable, an enjoyable and safe activity for all ages and abilities. You can do it almost anywhere - from country parks to commons and heaths, easy field paths and coastal trails to more challenging hill and mountain tracks - and to begin with it requires very little in the way of specialist or expensive equipment.

As with any sport or leisure activity, it is sensible to begin gradually, learning the basics in safe surroundings and perhaps with other, more experienced walkers. For instance, if you are new to rambling and want to explore the Lake District on foot, make sure your first walk is a gentle exploration of a valley bottom and NOT a potentially perilous mountain-top adventure! Alternatively, join an organised walk led by a National Park warden or Ramblers' Association group. Likewise, if you are set on walking long-distance paths begin with the South Downs Way and NOT the demanding Pennine Way.

If you are completely new to rambling there are a number of points that you should consider:

• Where can I walk?
• How do I find my way about the countryside?
• What do I need to take?
• Where can I get further help?

Where can I walk?

Even if you just have a couple of hours to spare there will always be somewhere nearby where you can stretch your legs and enjoy a healthy walk. And when you begin to explore the countryside you will discover miles and miles of public footpaths, plus various open spaces, country parks, and other opportunities for recreation on foot.

URBAN WALKING

In towns and cities there are of course public parks, sometimes canal towpaths and riverside paths, and often commons and heaths around the fringes. Increasingly, there are also short waymarked (i.e. sign posted) walking trails, usually established by local authorities. These generally easy routes are often supported by information boards and route leaflets - ask at your local library or town hall.

In addition, there are some longer paths and trails which can be enjoyed for as long (or short) as you wish. An example is the popular Thames Path, which runs through the middle of London, Windsor, Reading and Oxford. Another is the Trans Pennine Trail, a multi-user route for walkers and cyclists through (and linking) Greater Manchester and Merseyside, Doncaster, Barnsley and Hull. Detailed guidebooks, with maps, are available to these and other routes, plus there are many useful compilation guides to short day walks in a particular town or city. Sometimes they are based on a theme, such as 'family walks' or 'pub walks'. To find out more about the availability of walks publications contact your local library or town hall, tourist information centre or bookshop.

WALKING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Although town-walking can be very enjoyable, the most rewarding walk of all is usually to be found in the countryside. Around many large cities there are officially-run country parks, often with short waymarked trails for all types of walker, including disabled visitors. But of course you are not limited just by the confines of a small country park! Throughout the whole of England and Wales there are 130,000 miles (225,000 km) of rights of way - principally footpaths and bridleways - where the public has a legal right to walk; then there is also designated access land and common land, uncultivated open spaces across which the public is allowed to roam. (But in fact there is relatively little access land, and it is usually to be found in popular outdoor recreational areas such as the National Parks of the Lake District and Peak District.)

However, there are continuing problems with blocked and overgrown footpaths, especially in arable areas, and since some aspects of footpath law can be rather confusing it is wise to know your basic rights when walking in the countryside. For more information see the Countryside Commission's useful booklet 'Out in the Country: where you can go and what you can do' (free from Countryside Commission Postal Sales, PO Box 124, Walgrave, Northampton NN6 9TL).

Incorporated in the basic footpath framework of England and Wales, and to a lesser extent in Scotland, there is an extensive network of long-distance paths. Alongside the handful of official 'National Trails' (such as the Pennine Way and Offa's Dyke Path) there are hundreds of unofficial paths (the Coast to Coast Walk, Two Moors Way, Dales Way, and others). These usually scenic and sometimes dramatic routes are as popular with 'day' ramblers as much as long-distance walkers, and offer plenty of opportunities for interesting and inventive days out. However, well-known paths such as the Pennine Way and Coast to Coast Walk include some strenuous and challenging upland walking, and as with hillwalking generally it is sensible to start gradually and first learn the basics of walking and routefinding in more benign surroundings.

How do I find my way about the countryside?

(i) Learning to read maps

Public rights of way and access land are shown on four series of walkers' maps published by the Ordnance Survey (OS), the national mapping agency. The Landranger, Pathfinder, Outdoor Leisure and Explorer series show not only footpaths and bridleways but masses of other useful and interesting information, and between them cover the whole of Great Britain. Invaluable for finding your way around the countryside, they are (and should be) carried by most walkers. Once you have become familiar with these maps you can begin to plan your own walks, and there are several handbooks and basic map-reading courses that will help. The next step is learning to navigate using a map and compass, recommended if you plan to walk in the countryside on a regular basis, and essential if you want to walk in the hills and remote places.

(ii)Using walks guidebooks

If you are new to a particular area, or if you don't want to plot your own walk, then a popular alternative is to use a professionally-produced guidebook of local walks. As with those for urban walks, they usually include a number of straightforward day or half-day walking routes, either circular so you return to the start (say a car park or railway station) or sometimes linear, so you can return home from another railway station or bus stop. The route of each walk is usually described in detail, with an accompanying map, and often includes a refreshment stop (such as a pub or tea shop) and details on interesting places to see along the way.

Such is their popularity, there are now walks guidebooks in some form or other to nearly every area of Britain. To discover the range of titles available enquire at a library or high street bookshop - many have a specific section devoted to 'British travel/walking'. However, if you decide to purchase a book of walks do make sure to first of all check the distances and grade of the routes covered, as some books feature easy rambles of a few miles, while others describe more ambitious routes that might not be suitable for inexperienced walkers.

If you know which area you want to visit, ask for the Ramblers' Association regional guide to that area. This will give you ideas of books, long distance paths and useful organisations in the area.

(iii)Joining a group of ramblers

If you are uncertain about map-reading or following a guidebook's directions, or just unsure about walking in the countryside generally, perhaps the best way for you to start is by joining experienced ramblers on an organised group walk. The Ramblers' Association has over 400 groups around Britain, and each arranges its own year-round programme of walks. Naturally the walks vary in terms of length and overall difficulty (although most are nothing more than simple and enjoyable countryside rambles!) and of course all are subject to the availability of places and inclusion is ultimately at the discretion of the walk leader.

In addition to Ramblers' Association groups, there are many other independent walking clubs that organise regular walks, mostly for their members, and in popular outdoor areas there are often officially organised outings - such as in the National Parks of England and Wales, which have regular programmes of guided, daily walks for the public.

As well as day walks there are organised walking holidays, both in Britain and overseas, which can vary from a week-long programme of local rambles to a fortnight's trek along a long-distance path. The larger holiday operators, such as Countrywide and Ramblers Holidays, usually grade their walking tours, with a number of holidays aimed at 'beginners' and involving relatively gentle gradients and distances. For more details of these and other walking holiday operators see RA Fact Sheet 5.

What do I need to take?

As for any other recreational activity, there is a vast amount of sophisticated and often expensive walkers' equipment available on the market. But, in reality, you will need very little of it for a straightforward and enjoyable ramble in the lowlands of Britain. You can experiment with gaiters, overtrousers, breathable materials and the like as you become more experienced, and gradually add new items of clothing and walking gear as and when you feel you need them. And, of course, it's another matter entirely if you are planning a backpacking trip through the Scottish Highlands, but for your first venture along a country footpath all you will need is the following:

• stout footwear (preferably lightweight walking shoes or boots, which are robust enough to protect and cushion your feet for some distance over rough surfaces; or for a short walk in very wet conditions Wellington boots may be adequate; and on surfaced, urban tracks you may find strong training shoes more comfortable)
• waterproof cagoule/jacket (which will also offer protection from the wind)
• relevant guidebook/Ordnance Survey map
• food and drink (to give you extra energy, as well as to make your outing more pleasurable!)
• a small rucksack (or 'daysack') in which to carry all the above

For more details on gear and equipment, and basic safety issues, see RA Fact Sheet 3.

Walking and outdoor items, such as boots and rucksacks, can be purchased from outlets as varied as department stores to army surplus shops; but for range of choice and the most informed advice it is worth visiting a specialist outdoor shop. For local addresses look in the Yellow Pages under 'Outdoor wear' and 'Camping equipment'; and The Rambler's Yearbook has an extensive list of specialist retailers throughout Britain, some of which offer discounts to members of the Ramblers' Association.