One of the prime goals of the European Ramblers’ Association (ERA) is to help walkers organize and lead their walks competently in order to make them as enjoyable as possible.

This concern was also shared by Gaz de France who supported the European Conference on ‘The training of Walk Leaders’, which took place in Marcoussis, France in May 2005.  In its final declaration it was stated that walking as a leisure activity demanding stamina, requires a minimum of knowledge and preparation in return for a maximum of pleasure and safety.

Thanks to the involvement of Gaz de France, later GDF SUEZ, as a direct consequence of the Marcoussis Conference, it was possible to form a working group which followed up this topic. Similar groups were established on the Iberian Peninsula with the French, Spanish and Portuguese associations.

Later, based on the partnership between ERA and GDF SUEZ, the creation of this web site was made possible.  The intention is that it should be open not only to the member organizations of ERA, but also to the general public.

In this way all walkers can benefit from the know-how which our European network of leader training has collected over the years.

We wish you nice walks and hope that they will bring you the enjoyment you expect!