Not long ago, if you had asked Jane Starling if she ever saw herself leading a team of people through the countryside equipped with special poles, then she would have thought you were mad.

But when the recesssion started to bite into her business of baking for farmers’ markets and local outlets near her Mapledurham home, she decided to find an alternative.

By chance she came across a newspaper article on Nordic walking and, deciding she would also like to become a little fitter, she applied to do a course to become an instructor.

Nordic walking is different because of the use of poles which increase the use of the upper body.

This ensures more muscles are used, compared to normal walking, while oxygen intake is raised 25 per cent, helping boost lung capacity and general fitness.

Ms Starling, 52, took a course through Nordic Walking UK, which gave two days of teaching, a further day of practice and an online anatomy and physiology module.

This has qualified her to become an instructor, and now she is leading walks around the countryside near her home on the banks of the Thames on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border. She said: “It is fantastic to be involved in something I have never done or even considered before.

“As well as being good for you, it is a fun and sociable thing to do, as you can walk with a group and admire beautiful scenery.”

Ms Starling has launched 45-minute taster sessions which she holds on Saturday mornings at £5 per person, while route walks take place three days a week for £4, plus £1 for pole hire.

The walks cover about four miles and take a maximum of 90 minutes to complete.

So far she has taken groups of up to seven, supplying them with poles, but she has already found participants who have bought their own poles, which start from around £15 a pair.

Most of her groups have come through the Nordic Walking UK website, where she is listed as being an instructor, although she is stepping up local marketing activity by delivering leaflets across south Oxfordshire.

She added: “I have had people from a range of backgrounds. A lot of people think that walking with poles will involve a need for good co-ordination.

“But if you do it properly, you forget about the poles and really start benefiting.”

Contact: Jane Starling, 0118 9722058, 07749 819212.

Web: www.nordicwalking.co.uk