Welcome to the Sheffield Ramblers

Who are the Ramblers?

The Ramblers is a national organisation that exists to promote the benefits that walking can bring. It aims to show that walking, particularly out in the open countryside, is an experience that can bring you joy and improve your health whilst leading you to discover a true respect for the life of the countryside. There are around 500 groups across the country with over 102,000 members. Each group organises regular walks and many carry out other activities, such as maintenance of footpaths and campaigning work to keep footpaths open for public use.

Who are we and where do we go?

We are The Sheffield Group of the Ramblers, one of the local branches. You’ll find us a friendly bunch of people from a wide variety of backgrounds, with an active programme of walks all through the year. Many of our walks are in the Derbyshire Peak District, but we also walk in the outskirts of Sheffield and venture to nearby parts of South Yorkshire, from time to time.

We try to ensure that the start and finish of all our walks are accessible by public transport, but on circular walks people are free to come by car.

We also have 3 or 4 day-long coach trips each year so that we can explore further afield. We have travelled to Whitby, Malham, Roseberry Topping, Haworth, Ironbridge, Yorkshire Dales, Ilkley and Wensleydale, to name just a few of our destinations, in recent years.

When do we walk and how far?

We have walks on most Wednesdays and Sundays. These are generally between 10 and 12 miles at a medium pace, though some walks, especially on Sundays, can be up to 15 miles and at a more strenuous pace. For those people wanting something less taxing, we have shorter walks, between 6 and 8 miles and at a slower pace, on Tuesdays.  Extra walks can be added at any time, usually on random Thursdays or Saturdays. These are often shorter walks of no more than 5 miles, ideal for new walkers or those wanting to move on from Health Walks. These are shown on our website along with the main walking programme

Do I need to be a member?

There is a membership fee to join the Ramblers, with various options starting at £43 per year or joint membership for two adults at £58,  but you are welcome to come along on two or three walks to see how you feel about walking (and about our company) before making up your mind whether to join or not.  Please contact the walk leader before coming on a walk to check whether there have been any late changes to the published details.

You can join up by following the 'Join our Community' link to the right of this page.  (Please put "Sheffield Ramblers" down as your preferred local group on the application so you get added to our mailing list.)

After you have joined, all walks are free, not only walks with our group but those provided by other Ramblers groups countrywide. You can just check the website of each group to see what walks they offer and contact the leaders to let them know that you are coming.

Membership also entitles you to 4 copies of the Ramblers Walk magazine each year and discounts at certain outdoor equipment shops. Not a bad deal for £3.58 per month!

 What else do we do?

Our group also does a lot of campaigning work on footpaths and other countryside issues and has a practical group – Fixit – who work with the Council to help keep local paths in good condition.

We have a few organised social events each year, such as Christmas meals and an occasional birthday party, but anyone who joins the group will soon find opportunities to be involved with informal social events too.

 

Details
Category: Articles