Who are the Inverclyde Globetrotters? 

The idea for the Inverclyde Globetrotters came from our weekly gym based cardiac rehabilitation class in Greenock, Scotland.  Our class is just one of many classes delivered by Inverclyde Leisure through the Live Active Exercise Referral Scheme that operates in our area.  We now cater for a variety of conditions - although we still have more than our fair share of by-passes, stents and pacemakers. 

Everyone knows that as soon as you start walking on a treadmill time immediately slows down and you think, mistakenly, that by staring at the clock on the machine you can will it to go faster. 

So in February 2008 we decided to ask our members a question – “Would you be up for the challenge of walking round the world?” –  Not the kind of question you get asked every day.  

Luckily, once they stopped laughing at the very idea of it, the members agreed to have a go. 

The aim of our walk was simply to encourage members to stay active between classes and accrue the health benefits that come from more walking and less sitting.  We also hoped that achieving such a long term goal – a journey that would take years to complete - would provide a real sense of accomplishment.

We gratefully accepted a box of pedometers from the cardiac rehabilitation team at Inverclyde Royal Hospital, bought a map, worked out a route and set off on our virtual journey round the world. 

We timed the start of our walk to coincide with the launch of the 2008 Scottish campaign to promote cardiac rehabilitation.  It was our way of saying thanks.

We contacted GB Olympic rowing legends, Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent, more in hope than expectation, to ask if they would be kind enough to send a few words of encouragement and they did!  

Each week pedometers were handed over and steps recorded and distances walked, cycled and rowed during the class captured.  We tallied up our figures and plotted our progress on our map. 

In May 2010, after 117 weeks on the road, having made it to Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympics, we arrived back in Greenock having clocked up 30,688 miles. 

Seven years on we’re still walking and have now clocked up over 130,000 miles [that’s over 5 times round the world!] to more than 100 countries worldwide without ever leaving Greenock.

Looking for a new challenge?  Then you might like to check out our latest World Walking route.

For the last few weeks we’ve been happily working to replicate the route of Race Across USA, a 3,000 mile, 140 day long footrace starting in January 2015 in support of The 100 Mile Club, an American not for profit organisation, whose goal is to confront the obesity problem caused by inactivity one child and one school at a time. 

We are delighted to have been invited to lend our support to this great cause.

Enjoy!

A special route to help get you Fit in '14! 

Sample just a fraction of what's on offer in this wonderful country as you travel the route of the Glasgow 2014 Queen's Baton around Scotland; home of the Inverclyde Globetrotters and World Walking. 

Happy walking!

Since 2008, when the Inverclyde Globetrotters (the creators of World Walking) set off on their first virtual walk - an epic 30,000 mile round the world adventure - Joe Stewart, one of the stalwarts of the group, has clocked up over 12,500 miles using the same Silva ex step pedometer.

Joe thoroughly deserves his place in the pedometer Hall of Fame!  Well done Joe and well done Silva. A winning partnership.

World Walking is proud to support Fit in ’14; the Scottish Government’s nationwide campaign to encourage organisations and employees to take small, simple steps towards leading a healthier, more active lifestyle in 2014. 

The Commonwealth Games are heading back to Scotland in July 2014 and we couldn't just resist the temptation to celebrate by replicating the Queen's Baton Relay route on World Walking. It's massive! - 11 stages, 70 countries, 136,000 kilometers.  We'll be launching it in January.  If you're up for a challenge then it's time to get your team together. 

Thanks to Kate McCheyne at Glasgow 2014 for the smashing photograph of the Baton in Papua New Guinea.

Welcome to World Walking.  Thank you for joining. 

We hope you will enjoy taking part and that it will give you that little extra motivation to want to stay active. 

Have fun. 

PS: If you have an idea for a new virtual walk please let us know using our contact page and we'll see what we can do.