We're part of the Ramblers. If you're a newcomer, you're welcome to join us for a handful of walks to see whether this is the right group for you. No need to pay or join anything at this point.
You don't need to log into our website - just use the 'Register here' button on every walk page - and the process is the same after you've become a member.
You'll sign up for walks in exactly the same way, but once you've decided to continue walking with us, please join the Ramblers. You can continue to come along as usual while that comes through.
It typically takes a couple of weeks for membership information to reach us, so if you need to log in to our site (e.g. you're ready to lead a walk), let us know, and we can try to expedite things.
The current cost (at time of writing) is £45/year for an individual membership. Once joined you can go on any Ramblers walk in the UK - here's the walks finder. If you're on holiday in the UK and there's a local group, you can join their walk!
You also get a discount from several outdoor shops (Cotswold and some others at their discretion), issues of Walk magazine, and the membership fee goes towards the general running of the Ramblers, including hosting this site.
Some of your membership fee goes directly to us, helping with costs that SYW directly bears.
Walks in this period are typically longer, and may go into more remote areas in order to make use of the increased daylight.
With this in mind:
Bring plenty of food and water - two litres of water is a typical sensible minimum, and a packed lunch. You may be able to get a water refill during a pub stop, but do not rely on this.
If the walk is longer than average, consider whether you may need extra snacks to keep you going on top of your packed lunch.
Bring sunscreen and apply regularly.
A torch is still a sensible item of kit to carry - especially if it's an evening walk.
The main advantages of logging in are being able to view leaders' contact information, and an indication on each walk page of whether you're signed up to it.
You also need to be signed in to lead a walk.
If you're not bothered about any of that, and just come along to walks, there's no need to log in.
We tend to appeal to people in their 20s to 40s but even if you’re outside that range you’re welcome to come along and see if we’re right for you. We have no 'hard' age limit whatsoever - we operate based on people enjoying walking with us, instead of any age limitations.
The given start time is when we start walking. You'll need time to change into boots, general readiness and finding the group. We recommend aiming to arrive 15 minutes in advance.
If you're travelling by public transport please check the train or bus times beforehand so you're not in a last minute rush. Leaders won't necessarily wait for you if you're the only person running late.
In general, leaders should wait 10 minutes or so if they know someone is running late. If there are road or public transport issues on the day and it's clear that a lot of people are affected, the leader will most likely wait but it's up to them how much they delay the walk.
Walking boots are always the best option for longer walks. Walking shoes or trainers are usually fine for shorter or evening walks.
In wet weather we recommend full waterproofs. A rain cover for your rucksack is also a good idea.
As we're in the warmer months, please bring plenty of water - a few litres would be a recommended minimum, especially if it's a longer walk. We often stop at a pub for a drink, but otherwise don't rely on being able to find a shop.
On almost every walk we stop for a packed lunch. We usually stop at a pub too but it will only be for drinks and you should not rely on being able to order food.
The rule of thumb is to assume 3 mph plus an hour or so for lunch, pubbing and other stops, and that's about the best we can do! Hence, a 12 mile walk starting at 10.30am would probably end somewhere around 3-4pm.
However, that's affected by a multitude of factors - weather, group size, hills, mud, closed/impassable footpaths, uncooperative animals... the upshot is we can't guarantee anything, timing-wise.
If you're registered with Eventbrite (or logged into them using a social media account) you can go to My Tickets and cancel from there
If not, let the leader know using the 'Message' button on the walk page. We can't cancel your place, but this will inform the leader.
The walk page on this website and our member Facebook group are typically the best places to get the most up to date information.
If the weather deteriorates during the walk or some other unforeseen problem happens, the leader may change/shorten the route.
We are an all-weather group in general (a bit of rain and wind doesn't stop us!) but we are sensible and we pay attention to all weather warnings. Our leaders may device to cancel if risky conditions are forecast.
During the warmer months we particularly take note of heat warnings.
In general, yes. We'd only ask you to bear a few things in mind - we go inside a lot of pubs for a drink and they may not allow dogs inside.
We'd also ask you to keep them on a lead and to be mindful of any fellow walkers who may be nervous around dogs. Remember that even if you think your dog is the cutest animal in the world, some may still be uncomfortable around them :)
Many of our socials are just attending an externally-organised activity, in which case you either need to buy your own entry ticket and let us know you're coming, or just turn up. The description will explain what you need to do.
Quite often, a social on our site is merely advertising that the leader is planning to attend something, and is inviting others to join them. In these cases, there may not be a registration button - the best way to let the leader know you're coming is to use the 'Message' function.
We sometimes put on walks on weekday evenings, usually starting sometime around 6-7pm. They're typically around 4-5 miles with a couple of hours of walking, and there may be a pub stop afterwards.
Most evening walks have a chance of ending in the dark (some leaders will explicitly state that the walk definitely will), so please bring a torch.
Many people don't bring anything (not even a rucksack) because of how short the walks are, and full walking gear often isn't necessary - the description should make clear anything specific that you should bring.
We put on multiple weekends away (or short breaks) during the year, most notably our Christmas weekend.
In most cases accommodation is DIY and the walks themselves will be organised, and often group meals.
Some of our trips away are opened up just to our Facebook group to make things easier to organise, so if you'd like to be fully involved in the social activity of the group, join us on Facebook.