Clare Balding joins Huddersfield walking group We In Front for hike up Castle Hill

Ramblings stars popular presenter Clare Balding joining notable and interesting people for a walk through the countryside.

The show, featuring a walk to the top of Huddersfield’s Castle Hill, will be broadcast at 3pm on Thursday, February 15.

Eighteen members of the group joined Clare for the brisk three-hour jaunt along muddy tracks and bridleways, on a dry day during winter.

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They were rewarded at the top with a bracing breeze and panoramic views of West Yorkshire, finishing off with a West Indian style picnic and a calypso sing-song by some of the musicians who make up We In Front.

The group began life in 2020 during the Covid lockdown. Lowerhouses resident Errol Hamlet, 69, was bored and frustrated but was inspired to see a neighbour taking advantage of her hour outdoors with vigorous walking.

He had never seen the point of walking for its own sake, but once he started he felt like he didn’t want to stop.

Errol, originally from the island of Carriacou in Grenada, who has spent most of his life in Huddersfield, said: “I used to have severe joint problems and could barely get down the street.

"I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, but since I took up regular walking in this atmosphere of laughter and music, I’ve felt like I’m born again.

"It was lovely to host Clare Balding, and a great endorsement of what we’ve achieved.”

Once he started walking off the beaten track, Errol realised that he knew very little of the town that had been his home for more than 50 years.

Soon he was attracting the attention of fellow West Indian friends and, as lockdown eased, found he had a team of hiking converts around him.

They have since grown to a membership of more than thirty, and they walk four times a week, catering for people of differing abilities from flat rambles to scaling the most rugged terrain in the Pennines.

They reckon to be the most active group of West Indian pensioners walking anywhere in the UK.

While still drawing most of its membership from the Windrush Generation, the group includes walkers of diverse ethnic backgrounds, it says.

The group is now reaching beyond Huddersfield in search of new landscapes to explore and people to meet.

Highlights from last year included walking Pen-y-ghent, one of the Three Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales, walking along the cliff-tops of Flamborough Head to see the colony of grey seals, and a trip to the home village of one of the members in Trinidad and Tobago.

As well as walking, the group arranges regular information sessions on healthy living and well-being.

These include speakers on emergency first aid, diet and gut health, mental wellness, map reading and orienteering.

We In Front has also worked on environmental projects in Kirklees, promoting the Colne Bridge Riverside Nature Area in Huddersfield.

They have conducted joint walks with the Marsden Walkers Are Welcome Group to promote the replacement of rickety stiles with accessible gates so that more people can use the countryside.

Participants in the HERD project during the Kirklees Year of Music helped to record soundscapes for the giant musical sheep which went up the moors in July last year.

Members also partnered with sound artist Claudia Molitor and her London City University students to record a memory walk through the Caribbean heritage of Huddersfield, leading to a sound installation which was featured in the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in November 2023.

Group secretary Cynthia Matheson added: “I’ve lived in Huddersfield all my life but it’s only since I joined We In Front that I’ve realised what a lovely area we live in. It’s given me the confidence to explore the countryside around us, and now every time we go out it’s like a new adventure.”

The group says that, before leaving, Clare told Errol: “I loved being part of your group. I’m quite jealous because you go out walking so much. But next time I’m in the area I’ll know you’ll be out there, so I’l come and find you.”

We In Front welcomes newcomers of all backgrounds and abilities. To join the group, email [email protected]