I JOINED the CHA walking club in February 2017. I’ve enjoyed walking all my life and before joining this club I either walked on my own or with friends. I never considered joining a club because I thought they would be too cliquey, they would either walk too fast or too slow for me and I didn’t want to walk in a large group.

I was introduced to the CHA (Co-operative Holidays Association) by a friend and my first outing was on the Sunday coach with them. I was immediately drawn to the fact that they had three levels of walk: the A group which walked about 13 miles, the B group which walked about ten miles and the C group which walked about seven miles. The other thing that appealed to me was that all the walks are linear, meaning the coach dropped us off at the start and met us at the finish. It was such a nice change after all the circular walks I’d done.

My first walk was with the A group and we walked from East Witton, near Leyburn, to Masham. I remember being nervous because I didn’t know anyone but I needn’t have worried. People introduced themselves to me and I soon felt at ease.

What I really like about walking with the group is that you keep swapping between people (as you stop to take a photo or take in the view) or you can just walk on your own. It’s nice to do a mixture. Because there are three different groups each time,no group is very large, even when the 50-seater coach is full.

My initial fears about walking with a group were quickly dispelled. As we walked through fields to Masham a beautiful rainbow appeared. Now I’m not religious or spiritual in any way but it did strike a chord with me and I said to the person I was walking with, “That’s a good sign at the end of my first walk.” It did, indeed, turn out to be a good omen and I’ll mention this again later.

After the rainbow it got even better. I was told that at the end of every walk we have ‘buffer time’ before the coach picks us up. I was lucky that day because we had an hour before the 5pm pick up (it’s 6pm in summer). I was asked whether I’d like to go to the pub or the tea shop. Half the people went to the tea shop and I chose to go with the pub half as I felt like a nice beer to celebrate an excellent and successful walk.

The pace had been around two to 2.5 miles per hour and it suited me perfectly. The group kept together and if someone was at the back we periodically waited for them to catch up and then let them have a rest too. I was pleased about this because I was at the back sometime and it was nice to have a rest too.

I met up with members of the B and C groups in the pub at the end and I was made to feel welcome once again. It struck me that the CHA is made up of a wide range of ages, cultures and backgrounds which I find particularly appealing. Another revelation to me on that day was how fit the older people were. I thought to myself, ‘If this is what walking can do, then I’ve chosen a good hobby.’ The cost of the coach was good value and what was even better is that after a lovely long walk in the Dales I could fall asleep on the way back and not worry about driving.

I went on the coach the following Sunday. After three taster sessions I joined the club for a negligible fee. Over the last five years I have been on club weekends away to Keswick, Bala, Prestatyn and Shap Wells. I’ve been on week-long holidays to the Isle of Wight, Ilfracombe and Capileira in Spain. Later this year I’m going to Puerta Soller in Majorca for a week and then to Hexham for a weekend. As well as the club being diverse in the ways I’ve mentioned it’s also a mix of single people of both sexes and couples. If you’re single and you don’t want to pay a single room supplement you can always share with someone of the same sex so it’s a good way to meet new people. The holidays are such good fun. I have laughed and laughed and over the years I have made many new friends. It’s dramatic to say this but joining the CHA has changed my life. That rainbow I saw on my first walk certainly was a good omen.

*Bradford CHA celebrated its centenary in 2003. The group was initially part of the larger CHA (Countrywide Holidays Association). To find out more about the group visit bradfordwalking.org