Anyone is welcome to attend our walks, no matter what your age. However, please bear in mind that of the many Ramblers groups in Hampshire, this one is specifically targeted towards people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and was formed specially to give young people the opportunity to walk with like minded individuals of a similar age. Young walkers groups such as this are a key part of the wider Ramblers’ aim of providing walking opportunities for people of all ages, rather than just the older age group for which they traditionally catered for.
If you’re outside the targeted age bracket for our group you may want to try our sister 40+ group or one of the many area based traditional groups in Hampshire.
No! You are welcome to come along and try us out on up to three walks, but after this you will need to join The Ramblers (RA). They fund the group via a contribution from central office.
If you are already a member of the RA, your membership entitles you to walk with all RA groups, including ours. However, if you walk mainly with us rather than another group, we would be grateful if you would "switch your allegiance" to us as this increases the funds we receive. Our membership secretary will process this if you ask them. Please note that you must be a member of The Ramblers to come on trips away.
No! You can turn up as often or as infrequently as you like.
No one will be forced to lead a walk. That said, the programme of walks we currently offer is totally dependent on our members volunteering to lead one once in a while. Although there is no expectation for you to lead one, it would be a massive help to the group if you did. The more people that offer to lead a walk, the fuller and more varied our walks programme will be.
Walk leading is much less daunting than it can initially appear. Please refer to our walk leaders guide for guidance. If you are still unsure, please don't hesitate to contact the committee who will be happy to give you a few pointers. Alternatively you could sign up to one of the Walk Leader Training events we run from time to time.
Yes, but please check with the walk leader first. Please note that the group is designed for adults. Some pub stops may not be suitable, or the pace may be difficult for small children.
The answer is almost always yes, with very few exceptions. If dogs are not allowed on a particular walk then this will be clearly stated on the walks programme on the website. We have a more in-depth guide to bringing your dog on walks along with information for Walk Leaders here.
If you do bring your dog on a walk, it is your responsibility to ensure it on its lead when necessary. We ask that you keep it on a lead in fields with livestock, when walking on roads, and also on open access land from the 1st March to the 31st July, in accordance with the law. In most other situations they are fine off the lead as long as they are under your close control.
Dog fouling causes a nuisance to other walkers so we therefore expect you to pick up after your dog. Most of our members like dogs and are comfortable around them, but there are some people who are a bit wary of them so please don’t let your dog approach and jump up people.
Whilst we strongly encourage car sharing wherever possible it is not practical for walk leaders or the committee to secure lifts for those without cars. Our facebook page is a great place to visit to find out if anyone is going on a walk so that you can arrange a lift. If at all possible try to make a walk that can be reached via public transport or bicycle and chat to a few people to see if anyone is, or knows someone, from your area who might be willing to offer a lift to you in future.
No. Whilst we are a Hampshire based group we sometimes stray into the neighbouring counties.
Why not send us an email, or if your question is more specific have a look at the committee page to email us a specific question.