How do walking groups usually manage toilet breaks on day walks?

[Coldnorthwind]

Recently made redundant. There are a few women's walking groups near me and I would love to go out on a day walk. (I wouldn't want go out walking in the countryside alone which is a whole other topic). But what do people do about needing a wee? Is it fine in those groups to dodge behind a tree? I would do this if out with my dh/friends. Writing it down now it seems silly.. this must be what everyone does, I guess?

I remember being very traumatised in Iceland trying to find a big enough rock - it was super busy too as thousands of people trekking to see the volcano. But I have always managed to find somewhere!

Ok, this is all very encouraging, thank you. I am not really all that squeamish about such things, it's just the thought of doing so with strangers.

…. with the added instruction… ‘ladies to the left of the track, gents to the right” .

Stupid question - how do you wee outside without weeing on your clothes - do you have to squat right down to the ground? Maybe I’m just not agile enough but the one time I tried it was a disaster!

Yes, knickers right down round your ankles and squat as low as you can.

I used to be in a ramble group and they shouted gentlemen forward and men went ahead to wee and women wee’d together in a location chosen by the leaders

And check first for nettles

And drones!

Squat low and I pull knickers up and out of the way of that makes sense.
Also important to avoid shoes…

You want to get yourself a Pstyle .
https://amzn.eu/d/

Seriously. Game changer. No more nettles or thistles in sensitive places. Far easier to find privacy s you just need to get behind something, and you don’t expose everything. Easier on your knees (no squatting). No need to carry used toilet paper around (the Pstyle wipes you, and you put it back in a little bag).

I love the way she's nonchalantly carrying it in her back pocket in the photo on Amazon.

Its not silly at all and is the exact reason why I wouldnt join a walking group

Long stretches of walk where there might not be any heedges or trees that fit the bill, also dont know if other people are ok with that, no public toilets

The countryside is often inaccessible to people like me with a weak bladder

I did one long walk one and drank nothing all day, it was a baking hot day, took me a week to recover. I just couldnt risk drinking anything

I have never known anyone to do this

I did think about this on the walk I did because the walks round here for miles and miles is cliff top, no vegetation, no hedges, no trees, its open ground so no option. Its fine in woods, I do like a wood walk, lots of opportunity

That doesn't make it inaccessible, you just need to get on with it. There's always somewhere, even if it's only a stretch of path with no one one in sight.

If the worst comes to the worst, it's well known that if you don't make eye contact they can't see you 😆

If you're not accustomed to it it feels weird to begin with but you soon get used to being as quick as possible and hoping for the best.

Afterall, what's the worst that can happen and is that really worse than not going at all?

That wouldn’t work for me. Knickers and trousers to knees and hold everything forwards while I squat low. If they were by my ankles I would definitely wee on them!

Suggest people new to wild seeing have an… erm… dry run in the privacy of their own home beforehand.

This is what worries me about walking groups especially in the morning when I'm worst. With my husband he can tell when I want to go as I keep glancing around me for a suitable bush stop, and he's got so used to it he now suggests places even I feel are too exposed. Open moorland etc does worry me. On safari it was common to ask for a bushie stop, though we were somewhat concerned about being discovered by a snake or lion!

On a recent 2 day ramble, the organiser described it as ‘giving your gifts to nature’.

You do a full wee into an incontinence pad while out on a walk? My mind is blown.

This sums it up perfectly.

I dont have a problem weeing outside, I specifically said if you are with people that are not ok with that but more importantly if there are no trees and hedges

Im surrounded here by miles and miles of open land and cliff top, beautiful walking country, but simply no where to stop off, nothing at all

I can only really do long countryside walks when we're on holiday and with a guarantee of stops or undergrowth.

Even then you're going to get a cyclist bombing along out of no where when you thought no one was coming

And adders

We had bush stops birdwatching in India, but had to take a lookout after the previous tour leader had nipped behind a bush and got killed by a tiger!

Wild wees!

Incredibly more complex now our dog has decided she needs to vocally announce when the flowing is going...

It was on guided walking holidays we used to laugh and say why not ladies forward!