When you’re taking up a new outdoor activity, it can sometimes be tricky to find someone to do it with. For all sorts of reasons, from safety to sourcing equipment to just having someone to share the experience with, it’s often much better to learn as part of a group. But what do you do if your friends are too busy or your partner isn’t interested?
Joining a local club can be one the most effective and sociable ways to learn any new activity. It helps keep you motivated, and you’ll benefit from the experience of other members meaning you’ll learn faster. Being a member also allows you to borrow or hire club equipment without the responsibility of storing it or insuring it, and usually at a pretty good discount too.
I learnt to kayak one summer following a chance encounter with my local canoe club during an afternoon stroll along the towpath. Before I knew it they had me signed up for a free taster session, which soon turned into a weekly ritual of river trips with outdoorsy locals who went on become firm friends (quite an achievement in a city where strangers barely make eye contact!).
However, one of the problems with traditional outdoors clubs and associations is that they don’t always have the manpower or resources to run groups in every locale, meaning you may find yourself travelling a fair distance to get to one.
Also, within each outdoor activity there are different niches (canoeing and kayaking covers white water, slalom racing, sea kayaking, play boating, open canoeing etc) and clubs will tend to cater for the most popular niche interests.
So what do if you can’t find any clubs in your neighbourhood or fancy trying something a bit different like stand up paddleboarding or barefoot running?
I’ve recently discovered meetup.com and found a host of groups in my area doing all sorts interesting things, including activities I hadn’t even considered before (skiffing on the Thames anyone?).
The beauty of meetup.com is also that there are no memberships fees, no paperwork, no AGM’s. Just sign up for any group you like the look of and updates will ping straight to your inbox or phone. Some groups will charge a small fee if they’re hiring a guide or instructor for the day, but you can pay as you go, rather than committing to an annual fee for an activity you’re not quite sure about yet.
If you can’t find anything that fits what you’re looking for, or isn’t in the right location, why not start one yourself? The group automatically has sharing buttons for facebook and twitter so you can invite your friends and get them to spread the word to their networks as well.
I’ve now joined a couple of groups in my area (walking, surfing and outdoor photography), and will be reviewing the first couple of meetups to let you know how they compare to an official, affiliated club (Well organised? Value for money? etc). Here are some others that caught my eye, maybe there’s something in there for you?:
(pics © Galyna Andrushko and © Natalia Bratslavsky – Fotolia.com)
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Hi and welcome. I'm a freelance travel and lifestyle copywriter and editor, with a passion for the great outdoors. This is my personal blog all about getting out in the fresh air and reconnecting with our green spaces and countryside.
