Dundee Wellbeing Walk

SWAN has been working with Walking Scotland to train our autistic volunteers to become Health Walk leaders and run local walking groups for autistic women and non-binary people.

The SWAN walks offer a supportive and inclusive environment for autistic women and non-binary people. Beyond improving physical wellbeing, these walks provide an opportunity for socialisation and peer support.

The walks will be around an hour long at an easy social pace and are perfect for anyone who would like to become more active in the company of other autistic people.

For our Dundee walk, we will be walking a different route each month, please see what walks we'll be doing each month, below:

• 22nd May: Stobsmuir Ponds
• 6th June: Dudhope Park
• 9th July: Dundee Riverside
• August: To be announced

Descriptions of this months walk including their starting points can be found below.

Meeting point: Toilet Block situated in Stobsmuir Park on Pitkerro Road side of Park.

The park is accessible by foot, car and public transport. Cars can park on each of the roads on the 3 sides (Clepington Road/ Pitkerro Road/ Stobsmuir Road). Buses up the Forfar Road, along Clepington Road and up and down Pitkerro Road would allow access with a short walk depending on the area travelling from. Buses 17/32 and 33 travel from dundee city centre to Pitkerro Road stop.

Walk Leader: Louise, she has short gray hair, she is short in height, she will normally be wearing sunglasses due to the light, she will have her bright orange ‘walk leader’ arm band on for the first 5-10 mins but it gets taken off after that. (It’s quite bright and noticeable). Once you come over, she will introduce herself and have a short conversation with you.

Stobsmuir Park: This is a lovely wee park, the walks are suitable for all abilities, if unsure just ask. I have seen wheelchair users, those with walking sticks and crutches utilise this park at various times. Some come to just sit on a bench, others do laps with their buddies. The park has a resident pair of swans, currently sitting on the nest. There are multiple other birds here, currently coots, moorhens, the usual mallards and gulls, pigeons but also tufted ducks, sometimes we get goosanders but they may have moved onto the rivers to have the wee ones. Often we’ll have a heron or two here as well. The park has a playpark for children, adult outdoor exercise equipment as well as open grass areas with some beautiful trees. Its a great wee place to either distract yourself with nature all around you or to walk and chat with friends.

The walking route: We will begin at the toilet block and follow the tarmac path long the side of the larger of the 2 ponds, next to the Pitkerro side of the park, we will then loop around to go around the top pond, coming down the far side of the park. This is again a tarmac path, flat, it follows alongside the grassy area and round the back of the play park area back to the toilet block. We will then walk up the central path leaving the toilet block behind us and curve around to head towards the grassy area to the eastern side of the park, beyond the hedges. This has a very small circular section before we make our way back towards the ponds. If time permits we will do a second loop.

Rest areas: there are multiple benches/ seats at various points on the route and also next to the toilet block/ playpark area as well as the circular section. Some of the sides of the ponds have no seats but there will be one within sight. This is not a large park and most of the seats can be viewed at most times. People can take a seat at any point and pause while we continue (you would be able to see the walking group for the majority of the walk from any of the main seats) or we will pause at the toilet block/ seat near the playpark at the half way mark.

The park is mainly flat, with tarmac paths, the grassy areas are also flat and can be easily walked. However, I have made the decision to stick to paths on this walk.

The walk itself should last approximately 40-50 mins. Rest assured no one will be left behind

SWAN groups are safer spaces for autistic women and non-binary people over-18 who live, work or study in the local area.

SWAN is inclusive of all autistic women and non-binary people, including those who are exploring whether they are autistic, who self identify as autistic or are clinically diagnosed (private or NHS).

If these descriptions do not match you, we ask that you do not attend our groups unless they are specifically stated to be for non-autistic individuals. If you are a non-autistic person wishing to learn more about autism, visit our website for workshops and training: swanscotland.org/training

We aim to make our walks and groups as accessible as possible - they are led and designed by autisic people, in accessible venues.

If you have any medical conditions which might affect you when you are at a group, please let the facilitator know at the start of the group so they are aware of what to do should anything happen (e.g. epilepsy, diabetes, etc.).

If there is anything we can do to make the experience more accessible for you please do get in touch with us ahead of the meet up:

[email protected]

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