Ramblers' Association

The Ramblers' Association, also known as The Ramblers, is the largest walkers' rights organisation in Great Britain which aims to look after the interests of walkers (or "ramblers"). It is a charity registered in England and Wales, with 139,000 members.

Charitable Objectives

The Ramblers' Association has four main charitable aims:

1 - To protect Britain's unique network of public paths
2 - To safeguard the natural beauty of the countryside against unsightly and polluting developments
3 - To expand rights of responsible access to Britain's countryside
4 - To promote walking as a healthy, fun, inexpensive activity

Ethos and core beliefs

The Ramblers' Association believes in the power of walking - at the heart of the charity is a recognition of the positive impact that walking can have on people's lives. Although it is a membership organisation, the Ramblers' Association stresses that its work benefits society as a whole. For example, it is committed to helping all people discover the joys and benefits of walking. To that end, it provides resources, such as its website, free of charge and with no advertisements to all people, not just members.

A core belief is that the countryside should be for everyone. Since its inception, the Ramblers' Association has campaigned for full rights of responsible access to Britain's green spaces, culminating in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (the CRoW Act). Access in Scotland is even more liberal - the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 made Scotland among the most walking-friendly countries in Europe, along with the Nordic countries, with walkers having the right to access virtually all land.

The Ramblers' Association argues that Britain's network of public paths is an invaluable part of our national heritage and that the relevant authorities have a duty to invest in them. Although volunteers do undertake footpath repair work on a local basis, national campaigners work to ensure that

tructure

There are 450 Ramblers' groups in about 50 areas, and around 350 other affiliated bodies, such as societies especially interested in the heritage of the countryside, the Footpath Society, and local councils. There are also a growing of number of Ramblers groups for people in their 20s and 30s. The largest one being the Metropolitan walkers based in London.

Achievements

The Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act, granting the freedom to roam in the open countryside in England and Wales, was passed in the year 2000.

A recent campaign (summer 2003) has been conducted 'to work for safer road crossing points for users of public rights of way' in order to make the authorities and the public at large aware of the attendant dangers of crossing some extremely busy roads while walking.

Long-distance footpaths, some of them ancient, have been maintained in conjunction with local authorities and their use has been encouraged and promoted by the Association. It is in this way that walking on the Pennine Way, the Pilgrims' Way, the Saxon Shore Way and many others, as well as innumerable shorter paths have become very popular over the years. Gloucestershire-area members of the RA were also responsible for devising (in 1953) and promoting the line of the Cotswold Way.

Present Campaigns

Currently the RA is in the forefront of those campaigning for a consistent scheme of access to the whole coast of England and Wales (under the recently introduced Marine Bill). It is also active in promoting 'walking for health' schemes (under its 'Get Walking, Keep Walking' initiative).

How the groups work

Locally, walks vary in length: short distances of three to four miles; a medium range of five to six miles, or seven to nine miles; or for the more experienced ramblers, ten to fifteen miles. 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 walkers will encounter.

Many members of the RA 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.

History

In 1931, the "National Council of Ramblers' Federations" was formed because walkers felt that a national body to represent their interests was needed. In 1934 it was decided to change the Council's name, and so on 1 January 1935, the "Ramblers' Association" was officially created.

From 1948 onwards its secretary was Tom Stephenson, who was a leading campaigner for open-country access and for the first British long-distance footpath, the Pennine Way.

ee also

*Right of public access to the wilderness
*Backpacking (wilderness)
*Walking in the United Kingdom
*Hillwalking
*Scrambling
*YHA
*Scottish Youth Hostels Association

External links

* [http://www.ramblers.org.uk/ Ramblers' Association homepage]
* [http://www.walkmag.co.uk/ Walk: the Magazine of the Ramblers' Association]
*UK charity|1093577