Introduction
If you enjoy walking and talking, you’ve come to the right place. We’re an active group aimed at people in their 20's, 30's and 40's, with at least one walk or event most weekends throughout the year. Coming along is a great way to meet new people, keep fit and get outdoors to discover the beautiful landscapes right on our doorstep.
Our walks and hiking vary from 3 miles to 20+ miles, cover all of Hampshire, and much of West Sussex and the other surrounding counties while catering for most fitness levels. Many of our members find that regular walking with us improves their running, cycling or other outdoor activities. All of our walks are led by group members and you are welcome (and encouraged) to take us on your favourite walk – check out our walk leaders guide.
As well as our walks we also have regular social events, pub nights, weekends and longer trips away with summer parties and BBQs! Our trips away cover much of the UK and occasionally abroad too and vary from hiking in the mountains to relaxing camping trips – with a couple of walks thrown in for good measure. You will find our social events listed alongside our walks on the walks and events page.
We are one of many groups across the country who are part of the Ramblers Association and when you become a member of Hampshire Young Walkers you are also a member of the Ramblers Association. You are very welcome to come along to up to 3 walks or events with us before you join. If you decide you like us after 3 events, we ask that you join the Ramblers Association (the cost of a month’s gym membership for the whole year) as they provide all of our funding. Read more about the Ramblers Association.
Walking with us
It’s fair to say we walk and talk. We tend not to walk at break-neck speed and the very reason most of us join the group rather than go out walking alone is because we want company while we walk. We have a variety of walks – short, long, hilly and flat. While some of us scale faraway mountains for fun, many of us adopt the slow and steady approach to Hampshire’s hills and approach mountains with caution! As a result, our walks cater for all abilities and interests.
All of our walks are led voluntarily by members of the group. It may be a walk they know well or a route they have recently explored. All of our walk leaders use the Ramblers Association grading system for our events and the event information for any given walk will show which category the walk comes under and will usually give plenty of supplementary information. We usually meet between 9.00 am and 10.30 am and most of our longer walks include a stop for lunch. Most often you will need to bring a packed lunch but there are some occasions where we stop at a pub or café for lunch. If there hasn’t been a pub stop en route, there definitely will be at the end. Everyone is invited to stay for a drink and it’s a lovely way to end a walk as well as an opportunity to talk to anyone you've missed on the walk.
As well as walking locally in Hampshire, West Sussex, Surrey and Wiltshire we also run trips away. They are great fun and a very good opportunity to get to know other members as well as bringing a great deal of variety to your walking experience. These trips require booking which will be made clear on the event page. You can always ask the event leader if you have any questions.
The Committee
Hampshire Young Walkers cannot function without our members volunteering time and energy in a number of ways and key to this is our committee. The committee are voted in each year at our AGM meeting and manage everything from ensuring walks are on the programme to making sure our website is still functioning and keeping us financially afloat. Our current committee members are listed below and they are always happy to answer any questions/concerns you may have. Suggestions are always welcome and we promise to keep you updated on their progress. If you are interested in becoming part of the committee, see our Volunteer page.
Rob Bartlett
The chair is responsible for ensuring the group grows and prospers through catering to the needs of existing members whilst also remaining attractive and welcoming to new members. A large part of this is chairing committee meetings and co-ordinating the actions of other committee members. A key part of the role is to ensure that the group is run in an efficient and open manner that best serves the interests of members whilst also following the Ramblers Association policy and guidance.
Owen Jones
The secretary organises the committee’s meetings, documents the discussions and follows up on any actions. The Membership Secretary maintains and updates the group’s membership list from the monthly reports sent from RA Central Office. They also deal with enquiries from people interested in joining the group and make sure they are added to our database and email list. It is also their responsibility to send reminder emails to lapsed members encouraging them to re-join and submit a regular membership brief to the committee.
Rachel Norris
The role of the treasurer involves two main functions. The first is to keep track of money coming into and going out of the group, the second is to ensure that we stay solvent when planning events. It’s not the sexiest of jobs, but a pretty vital one.
Liz Winterton
The walks planning officer has an extremely important role. Their aim is to ensure the walks programme is as full and varied as possible through encouraging people to submit walks. They also moderate and approve any walks submitted.
Mark Mackay
The technology officer is responsible for keeping all the group’s technology and web based media fully operational. Ensuring the website is working as it should is essential to the running of the group as it not only plays a role in providing a useful tool to members but also provides the committee with a number of useful tools. They will also look for ways to integrate new technologies for improving the operations of the group.
The Ramblers Association
The Ramblers Association is a national charity whose aims include bringing walkers together, protecting the rights of walkers and helping everyone access more of our beautiful countryside. With 106,000 members and 25,000 volunteers, the Ramblers Association provide an online library of 2,750 walking routes, protect and repair footpaths, and organise national campaigns and national walking festivals.
If you’ve attended up to 3 of our events or walks, we ask that you join the Ramblers Association in order to continue. Membership of the Ramblers Association is inexpensive and comes with many benefits. All of our funding, as a Ramblers Association group, comes directly from the Ramblers Association.
Membership includes:
- 50,000 walks a year across 500 local groups (you don’t have to stick to Hampshire 20’s & 30’s)
- Access to Ramblers Holidays
- Access to the online route library
- Four issues of Walk magazine
- Discounts and deals at selected partners, currently including a discretionary 15% discount at Cotswold Outdoors
