Walking the Western Weald

A delightful walk around a local vineyard with gorgeous views to build up our thirst then cheese and wine tasting with a very knowledgeable and approachable English wine guide. A truly fantastic summer afternoon. Like all of the Rural Strides walks, this one included such variety: woodland, fields, climbs, descents, warm sunshine and a bit of drizzle. There was interesting conversation with like-minded companions, and it culminated in fabulous food and drink.

I did a lovely walk with the experienced walking guide Malinka as part of the Alton Walking Week. This session was focussed on map reading/navigation and Malinka was a fantastic teacher, guide and great company. She was patient, explained things clearly and allowed us to navigate the group on some short sections whilst she supervised us. I learnt several very useful lessons and will use these on my walks. The walk was very well organised, had wonderful scenery and was timed to perfection. We even managed to avoid the rain and arrived back at the car park just before the forecasted rain arrived. Malinka is highly recommended and I would have no hesitation in reaching out to her again. Thank you!

Malinka is extremely knowledgeable and explains everything clearly in a very friendly and approachable way. The session was a very practical hands on learning experience with plenty of opportunities to practice the skills Malinka was showing us. An excellent event - timed to perfection to avoid the very heavy rain forecast.

Malinka's guided tours work perfectly for me. She offers a varied programme of diverse routes with accurate and interesting route info to assist choice. Pre walk support is excellent and timely. No excuses for not being ready on the day. Finally the day..excellent company, a good even pace, Malinka supports walkers with up to date terrain insights..slippy/ gradient warnings so her walks always run smoothly and inclusively. Plus love the factual knowledge- historical, local and flora and fauna that Malinka imparts en route. Would highly recommend. P.s well behaved dogs on leads often welcome too, which is a big plus for the enthusiastic often excluded dog owner!

A fantastic walk, brilliantly organised! Really wonderful to be part of a new Slow Ways route and a celebration of active travel.

We had a great walk around Stedham and Woolbeding with a visit to the Woolbeding Gardens. Fantastic day out led by Malinka from Rural Strides 😃

What a great way to understand maps. Out and about being given an end point. Planning the route, describing to the other people on the session. Stopping confirming you have arrived in the correct spot; the others in group stating where they think they are on the map. With a super facilitator. All in all a great day well worth doing

I went out with Malinka for a few days last October. The surroundings were beautiful - just like walking through a movie. I come from the Netherlands and can walk about 20 km a day there, but that turned out not to be feasible in the UK because of the hills! Routes were adjusted (I think she knows every route there is) and we just made beautiful walks. Malinka knows a lot about the history and ecology of the area - it was very interesting. All in all, it is simply fascinating to take walks there. We had a delicious meal and drinks along the way in a typical English pub, which was lovely for me as a Dutchwoman. Have I already said we will definitely be back?!!

I have enjoyed every walk with Malinka of Rural Strides. She brings a perfect blend of humour and knowledge of the area being explored which is greafor me. I hate reading maps. She takes the effort out of planning where to go in a professional way. Go on a stroll and see for yourself!

Malinka has generously shared her expertise as a walks leader and walks festival organiser with the Reading Walks Festival, which has made a huge difference in ensuring we cover all the key bases and issues that could affect a walk or walks festival. She joined the steering group for the Festival providing lots of valuable insight and led her own walk a part of the festival. She is a clear communicator and thorough organiser who thinks through the potential risks and pitfalls associated with leading a group in the countryside. She has developed template risk assessments, route maps and briefing documents which combined with a common sense approach, makes her great walks leader material. She is obviously a very experienced walks leader in her own right and demonstrated her own adaptability when the recent train strike impacted on her planned Reading Walks Festival walk. Within a matter of hours she had a plan for a revised walk, which was confirmed to the participants once a follow up recce had been carried out. I would certainly recommend Malinka as a walks leader and walks festival organiser.