Claire writes, “On a recent walk for coaches, we headed straight up one of the Malvern Hills from the car park .  I was leading. The path became narrow and rocky and as I waited for the group to gather, one of the walkers who lives on that hill took the lead. What a joy to follow! She led the rest of the walk and we went in new directions. I have expanded my repertoire of routes.

At one intersection, we had to choose between up and round.  The consensus was to go round, and the enthusiasm of our leader took us up and round to the top of the Worcestershire Beacon.  One of my walking friends laughed that I rarely choose up.  What I learned in that walk is that’s true when I am the leader – because I keep my eyes on the path – and the steep bit.  When someone else is leading, I’m talking and not looking ahead.  And then, it turns out that I have more energy for the ups than I thought!

PS: Setting up this Linked In Walking Group for coaches has also been a great way to get to know people”