Ramblers - How The Groups Work

How The Groups Work

Locally, walks vary in length: short distances of three to four miles (6 km); a medium range of five to six miles (10 km), or seven to nine miles (14 km); or for the more experienced ramblers, ten to fifteen miles (24 km). Consideration is given to the difficulty of the course and the terrain, whether stiles, steep hills, and busy roads are to be crossed, and the number of members who may be expected to take part. Ramblers take their turn in volunteering in advance for the list of leaders of the walks. Leaders walk out the designated route in order to reconnoitre it, bearing in mind that certain features of the route may change before the actual day of the walk. Crops in fields growing or harvested, foliage on trees changing, footpaths overgrowing—all will make a difference to what Ramblers will encounter. With many walking groups consisting of elderly people, particular care is taken to ensure that the walk is both feasible and not too strenuous for these individuals.

Lunch will normally be taken en route and may consist of a picnic or a lunch taken in a pub that welcomes Ramblers. Historical problems with group size, dirty boots, and general anti-Ramblers prejudice means that not all pubs welcome Ramblers; therefore, the walk leader will be familiar with suitable pubs to visit before the walk. Sometimes a pub may be used as a starting and end point for the walk but this can create problems for pub owners due to the capacity of the pub's car park.

Many members of the Ramblers are not active members of a group however, but are members to support the access and advocacy work of the Association. Similarly, there are many members who are not users of long-distance paths, but are more interested in preserving the diversity of the existing footpath network. The majority of Ramblers will drive to the walk starting point, but car sharing is encouraged to lessen the environmental impact of car usage.