Fishing and walking clubs for people over 50

Why clubs work, and why they're not a dating pool

A club gives you the one thing online dating can't: time. You see the same faces week after week, in all weathers, doing something you both enjoy. You learn who makes the tea, who always brings spare gloves, who laughs at the same things you do. If anything grows from that, it grows on solid ground.

The catch is that a club is a community first. People notice the newcomer who's only there to size everyone up, and it spoils things for everyone. Go for the walking or the fishing. The friendships, and occasionally more, come on their own.

Which kind of group suits you?

The right group depends on how fit you feel, how sociable you want to be, and whether you'd rather talk while you walk or sit quietly by the water. Here's how the main options compare.

A health walk is a short, led walk on easy ground, designed for people who are less active or building up their fitness. A walk leader is the volunteer who plans the route, keeps the group together and knows where the tea stop is.

How do I find a walking group near me?

Start with Ramblers or your local u3a, then look at noticeboards for independent clubs. Most groups publish their walks online, so you can pick a date and route before you commit.

Ramblers says it has more than 500 local groups across Britain and runs up to 50,000 group walks a year, each led by a walk leader. Walks are graded by difficulty, and there's guidance for blind and partially sighted walkers. Search for a group near you on the Ramblers website and look at its walk programme. Ramblers also runs Wellbeing Walks, shorter walks on easier ground; its website lists the local schemes.

Paths for All organises health walks across Scotland: short, free walks led by trained volunteers, aimed at people who want to be a bit more active.

u3a describes itself as one of the largest membership organisations in the UK, with over 1,000 local u3as where members "learn for fun in retirement". Local u3as run interest groups chosen by their members, so ask yours whether it has a walking group. You can find your nearest u3a through its website or by calling the u3a office on 020 8466 6139.

Northern Ireland and independent clubs. Ramblers' groups cover Britain, so in Northern Ireland look for local walking clubs. Across the UK, many areas also have independent walking and hillwalking clubs. A noticeboard at the library, a leisure centre or an outdoor shop is often the quickest way to find them.

Your first walk: a checklist

• Pick the easiest graded walk on the programme, even if you're fit. You'll have breath left for talking.
• Check the meeting point and start time the day before, and whether the walk is linear (you'll need a lift or a bus back) or circular.
• Arrive ten minutes early and introduce yourself to the walk leader. Mention anything they should know, such as a dodgy knee.
• Bring the basics: waterproof, warm layer, water, a snack, a charged phone, and boots or shoes you've already worn in.
• Expect a tea stop. It's where most of the chatting happens.

How do I join an angling club?

Find a club through a local tackle shop or an Angling Trust Get Fishing event, buy the right licence, then try a day ticket before you join. Most clubs are glad of new members, especially ones who'll help on a work party.

Angling clubs typically own or rent fishing rights on stretches of river, canal or lake and let members fish there. Many also sell day tickets to non-members, hold work parties (volunteer mornings clearing banks and repairing pegs), and run matches and socials.

1. Check the licence rules for where you'll fish (table below).
2. Ask at a tackle shop which clubs are nearby and which welcome beginners.
3. Try a Get Fishing event if you've never fished. The Angling Trust lists taster sessions on its website.
4. Buy a day ticket on the club's water before you commit to a year's membership.
5. Go to a work party. It's the quickest way to meet members, and nobody minds if you can't cast.

Licence rules in each part of the UK

Rod licences for England and Wales are sold on GOV.UK. A Great Britain licence doesn't cover Northern Ireland. If you're over the border in the Republic, see our guide to dating over 50 in Ireland.

Your first few weeks at a club

Ask questions: anglers love explaining where the fish are and why you'll never catch one there. Learn the club rules on bait, keepnets and parking, because they vary. And be patient. Club life runs at the pace of the seasons, and the friendly regulars on a frosty February bank are worth knowing.

What does it cost?

Costs are set by each group, so check before you go. As a rough guide to what you'll be asked for:

• Health walks: usually free.
• Walking groups and u3as: usually a membership fee. Ask whether you can come along once before you join.
• Angling: a rod licence (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), plus a club membership or day tickets.
• Kit: decent footwear and a waterproof go a long way. Hold off on expensive tackle until you know what kind of fishing you enjoy.

If you do meet someone at a club

Take it slowly and take it outside the club. Suggest a coffee after a walk, or a separate outing, rather than turning the Sunday group into your date.

Example only: "I've enjoyed chatting on the last few walks. Would you fancy a coffee one afternoon this week, just the two of us?"

If the answer is no, or "I'd rather keep it to the walks", take it gracefully and carry on as before. You'll still see each other next week, so be kind and clear either way, and keep it out of the group chat.

The usual safety rules apply even to a familiar face from the club: meet somewhere public at first, travel yourself, and keep money out of it. Our guide to meeting a date outdoors safely has the details, and dating safely over 50 covers the warning signs of a scam.

Using clubs and online dating together

They work well side by side. On your profile, say what you do ("I walk with a group most Sundays", "I fish a club water near home") without naming the exact club, place or time, which would tell a stranger exactly where to find you. When you meet someone online, a walk or a riverside stroll makes an easy first date. Our ten outdoor first dates has plenty of ideas, and meeting someone through a hobby helps with profiles and first messages.

Prefer a trowel to a rod? Read gardening groups and allotments. For where outdoorsy over-50s meet in each nation, see dating over 50 in the UK.