The Wednesday Wanderers – a 10 year success story
By Graham Duncan
The Wednesday Wanderers were a group of our members who walked together every other week for 10 years. The keys to its success were:
- the choice of interesting 6 mile walks within a reasonable drive from Milngavie
- the opportunities for socialising while walking or over coffee and lunch
- good organisation, planning and leading of the walks by 4 members known as the Gang of Four.
How the walks were set up
Wednesday Wanderers were an established feature of Bearsden and Milngavie Ramblers before we got involved but not in the format that we hit upon. The Gang of Four were “persuaded” to take over its running in 2011. While individually it seemed onerous, it appeared to us that by splitting the workload amongst four of us as a joint venture, it could be made manageable. And so it proved.
Alternate Wednesdays were given over to “recces” (trips to investigate potential walks).
On that basis, over the following decade Wednesday Wanderers ranged far and wide, from Glen Ogle in the north to Culzean Castle in the south and from the Water of Leith/Union Canal in the east to Arrochar to the west. Sometimes we travelled by train; once even a ferry crossing on Loch Lomond.
Consulting members
Wednesday Wanderers
As a precursor to creating a walking programme we sent out a questionnaire which was given to all those who had previously walked on Wednesdays and also made available to all group members, not just to gauge interest but in the hope of determining what format of walk might be most appealing, bearing in mind that short walks already existed on Wednesdays.
Based on the replies we got, a format was decided upon – one that hardly changed over the years. The idea was to find a walk of around 6 not too demanding miles within 75 minutes drive of Milngavie in summer (although only 45 minutes in winter). There should be a coffee stop before the start of the walk and a pub lunch – by way of incentive and/or reward! – on completion of the walk. We met at 0930 at Tesco, Milngavie, every second Wednesday year round, with car sharing being encouraged and organised and maps to the various destinations provided where required.
Popularity of the walks
The first led walk was in March 2011 at Mugdock with a dozen or so walkers, but the format proved popular and numbers increased year on year until the last full year in 2019 averaged 30 walkers and our final outing before Covid-19 restrictions came into force in March 2020 saw 40 members walking from Auchinstarry to Banton. During that time over 200 walks were successfully organised – and only in late 2019 did walks start to be repeated!
From the outset, it rapidly became clear that, important though the walking was, the social side of Wanderers was a huge benefit. Walking and chatting with friends new and old, sharing journeys or a table for coffee or lunch were all factors in Wanderers popularity. It was noticeable how many new friendships began and blossomed over a drive or a meal. And Christmas lunch at the Village Inn at Luss became a highlight of our social calendar.
A victim of its own success
However, administering the walks with the numbers involved became increasingly difficult. It involved organising car-sharing, sourcing lunch stops and, in particular, coffee shops of a size and speed of service capable of taking groups of at times over 40, with the added complication of pre-ordering in many of the non-chain eateries. Even before Covid-19, doubts had emerged as to the continued sustainability of the Wednesday Wanderers’ template to accommodate such numbers.
It had been a highly successful format in its time but the increased numbers towards the end had become a problem – Wednesday Wanderers had become a victim of its own success. The impact of the pandemic on organised walking created a natural breakpoint in Wanderers activities that persuaded the Gang of Four that this was an appropriate time to step back and hope that others might come forward to take Wanderers in a new and successful direction, under fresh leadership and with different ideas.
The Gang of Four
Graham Duncan Grace Duncan Trevor Hamilton Joan Mackie
List of all the Wednesday Wanderers’ Walks
A handy tool for choosing a good walk, with locations, distances and cafes