Taff Ely Group
Walking is the nearest thing to perfect exercise - and that applies to children as well as adults. But traditional Ramblers walks are not necessarily to way to enthuse children about walking. How about following a trail of yellow bunnies around the countryside instead?
There are 6 bunny walks in total, ranging from 3 to 5 miles in length. The walks are designed for families and take place over commons, woodlands and hills in the Taff Ely Group area. The routes are waymarked with little yellow bunnies painted on gates, stiles, and rocks along the way. Each bunny walk has an accompanying leaflet, so that parents can see the route beforehand. The walks are self-led, families just follow the map on the leaflet and the bunny waymarks, so they can go on the walks whenever they like – there’s no need for a walk leader.
The bunnies are spaced out enough so that children can run off, but won’t disappear from sight when they reach the next bunny. Unfortunately the routes themselves are not accessible for pushchairs or wheelchairs due to stiles and the terrain, so the current routes are only really suitable for children aged 5 or 6 and upwards.
Taff Ely Group obtained Lottery funding to have the leaflets printed. The leaflets are a set of six, so families can collect the set to do all the walks. 3000 leaflets were printed in total and Group volunteers distribute the leaflets regularly around local libraries, doctors surgeries and other public buildings. The Group often receives feedback from these distribution points – usually a library asking for more leaflets as they’ve all been snapped up, and passing on comments that families have said they’ve really enjoyed the walks. And some parents have subsequently turned up on the standard Ramblers group led walks as a result of coming across the bunny walk leaflets, so as well as getting families walking, the scheme works to recruit new members to the Ramblers too.
The walks are 5 or 6 years old now. The only ongoing maintenance is getting new leaflets printed when they run out and repainted the bunnies twice a year when they become weathered.
