Pub Walks: Welcoming walkers

Related tags Pub Walking

When people talk about walking and pubs in the one breath, the image that usually springs to my mind is a hen or stag party sporting cowboy hats and...

When people talk about walking and pubs in the one breath, the image that usually springs to my mind is a hen or stag party sporting cowboy hats and weaving their way around the pubs of some unsuspecting town.

But there appears to be a quiet revolution happening among country pubs. It seems that rural pubs are reclaiming their land and taking back the pub walk.

Walkers can have a bit of a bad reputation with pubs - parking their cars in pub car parks without permission, dragging in half a field with their muddy boots, and after all that coming in and ordering 'just a tap water, please'.

But in spite of these misconceptions, welcoming walkers can be a great way of boosting trade.

According to Britain's walking charity The Ramblers, a survey of sport and recreation participation found that 9.1 million adults in England, or 22 per cent of the population, walk recreationally for at least 30 minutes every four weeks. So how does this affect publicans? Leigh Salkeld is the founder of www.myfavouritepubwalks.co.uk, and an avid walker and pub fan.

He set up the website in 2007 when he heard of the growing number of pub closures. Realising that walking was such a popular pastime with a large number of Brits, Leigh created his website as the first national pub walks database aimed at supporting our pub heritage by promoting pubs to the vast and growing walking community.

'This is a huge market for publicans which amazingly many ignore today - even though a pub walk by definition leads hungry and thirsty customers straight to the pub door," says Leigh.

What exactly is a pub walk then? These walks are particularly associated with rural pubs with surrounding scenic beauty, but are just as popular with history buffs in search of a good historical trail with a refreshing pint at the end, be that either town or country.

Getting started

Steve Marquis runs the Blue Bell Inn in Halkyn in Flintshire, Wales. He took over the pub in 2002 with his wife Vanessa, after leaving a career in IT.

"When we came the pub was on its knees, it was closed and it had a troubled relationship locally. So we looked at the demographics and what the area had to offer," he explains.

The pub's unique setting by the Halkyn Mountain with stunning views meant it was a prime location for pub walks. So Steve got in touch with The Ramblers association and planned a 90-minute pub walk for Thursday afternoons. But demand grew and there are now three Blue Bell planned pub walks a week, attracting anything between 70 and 200 walkers each time.

The walks themselves aren't big money-spinners. They are free for customers to get involved in, but are led by volunteer leaders, so there's little cost to Steve in organising them. But for a pub with a reputation that was difficult to shake, the benefits were clear.

"We would offer teas and coffees to the walkers at the beginning. It didn't generate a large amount of money, but it was enough to be getting people back into the pub," he explains.

And Steve used that opportunity to build the business further.

"When we were out walking I got a chance to talk to the walkers and ask them what else they liked doing," he says, "and from that we started holding events based on their interests - not just quizzes, but folk singing nights and trad jazz."

And business picked up. Walkers would come into the pub for a post-walk pint, and find events lists on the tables. Soon they saw the Thursday afternoon crowd coming back for events, bringing their families along.

The Blue Bell now boasts a string of awards, including the Nation's Favourite Pub Walk winner 2007 from MyFavouritePubWalks.Com, The Sunday Times Best Summer Walks 2009 and The Sunday Telegraph Top Ten UK Country Pubs 2008.

It also plays host to a number of popular and unusual pub events, including a conker championship, as well as a cheese and pickle night once a fortnight. Nearly all of the events stem from pub walkers' ideas.

Good for food

For foodie-focused pubs, Leigh sees a pub walk as a great way to get a bit of extra revenue. After a demanding walk, he believes that people want nothing more than a filling meal.

But he offers this advice to pubs looking to capitalise on walkers' trade: "Walkers are less focused on gastro pubs - they want basic and traditional food for a tenner, that will fill them up and give them energy."

He says that this is something that many of the pubs featured on his website have benefited from.

Even if you're not organising a pub walk yourself, if your pub is in an area where many walkers cross your path, Leigh says you can benefit by making walkers feel welcome.

By simply putting a sign outside that indicates that walkers are welcome, and a chalkboard advertising your food menu, sales could increase.

"It's a win-win thing," says Leigh. "Pubs need customers and walkers need food and a pint."

The rewards

For the minimal financial input required in getting involved in pub walks, the rewards are evident. Through getting the Blue Bell on the radar, Steve has seen his pub's once-tarnished reputation completely turned around.

It's now a pub at the heart of the community. Of course there are challenges as well, particularly when staff have to tackle the mud on the pub floors after a busy pub walk. But the Blue Bell is firmly on the map as a top destination for thirsty walkers, and the top awards they've received are a testament to that.

As Leigh says: "More than anything, it's another way to engage with the customers. If pubs think about it, they have got nothing to lose."

Leigh and Steve's top tips to welcome walkers

• Make sure you have a sign outside with your menu to get walkers in the door - after a couple of miles walking they will be hungry and thirsty

• Get in touch with local walking groups - they may be able to help organise your walks, as well as advertising them to the local community

• Make dogs welcome - many people go walking with their pets - make man's best friend more welcome by having a few water bowls on hand and get some signs making it known that your pub is dog-friendly

• If you are making your own pub walk, it's best to appeal to leisure walkers, so go for walks of around three to five miles. Any longer will put people off

• Sign up to Leigh's website - it is free to join and is especially good for pubs who don't have their own websites.

For more info, visit:

Favourite pub walks: www.myfavouritepubwalks.co.uk

The Ramblers: www.ramblers.org.uk

Walking for Health: www.wfh.naturalengland.org.uk

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