Blog
At the last meeting, the BW committee approved the adoption of a new group charter, to guide our members on what we expect from them, as part of the group.
Thanks to the Shropshire Young Walkers for inspiring us with their new group charter!
Any questions please feel free to message the committee.
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With two group trips already firmly in the calendar this year (plus NYR) we’re pleased to announce a further group trip coming up in September…
Munros, Glens & Trossachs: a week in the Scottish Highlands
(Crianlarich, 9th–16th September)
Being further afield than the other trips, this will also be longer (so I’m afraid most of you will need to time holiday for this one!) but is the group’s first time back in Scotland since before the pandemic.
Based in the village of Crianlarich in Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, we’ll be in the midst of an impressive array of mountains (including the southernmost of the Munros) and also well placed for less strenuous routes through the glens and around Loch Lomond itself, including parts of the West Highland Way.
As the trip organiser, I’m likely to focus on leading mountain walks if the weather permits, with some gentler days in between. There should also be plenty of options in the area and other leaders are welcome and encouraged to offer alternative walks, however.
We’ve reserved a number of rooms at Crianlarich Youth Hostel for the group, including the option to have one of the smaller rooms to yourself if you pay the extra, or you’re welcome to stay elsewhere.
Please see the website for more details, and to sign up (especially if you want to stay in the hostel, where spaces may fill up), and get in touch if you have any questions.
— Zak (Walks Coordinator)
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As the cold weather settles in and December approaches, it’s time once again to announce and organise the BW Winter Staycation for another year! The idea is to have a fairly full programme of walks and socials over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, for those who are staying around the area and looking for something to do.
Due to the timing this year, with both Christmas and new Year falling on a weekend, this will start after the Christmas weekend, running from Tuesday 27th December to Monday 2nd January (although if anyone would like to lead a walk on e.g. Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, you’re welcome to do so!)
Walk leaders, get your thinking hats on!
All types of walk are welcome, but given the short days, winter conditions, and people’s other plans, most Staycation walks are usually on the shorter end of the range – 5 to 8 miles is probably ideal. Why not have a look at the 2018, 2019 or 2021 programmes for inspiration? (There was no 2020 Staycation due to the Covid lockdown.)
If you have a walk in mind that you’d like to put on during this period (even if it’s a repeat of a previous walk, or you haven’t recced it yet) please do
Social organisers too…
We don’t yet have any socials planned for the Staycation period, though of course we have several planned for earlier in December (a theatre trip, the Christmas meal, and the fancy dress pub crawl). Please contact
And don’t forget the other dates
Of course, please get in touch too if you’d like to lead a walk at any other time as well – in particular we’ve still get a few weekend days in December to fill: 4th, 10th (finishing early so people can get ready for the Christmas meal), 17th (finishing in time to go on to the pub crawl if possible), and 18th – and it would be be great to start getting a programme into January too for those looking to walk in the new year.
— Zak (Walks Coordinator)
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For all the enjoyment of local walking, one of the things I’ve always found the most enjoyable and exciting about the group has been the trips away to walk in other parts of the country. These are a great opportunity both to walk in different landscapes, and to really get to know people – that’s certainly what I found with the 2018 Lake District trip, a few months after I joined.
Covid unfortunately brought an unwelcome halt to our programme events, with the trips away being curtailed for rather longer than our local walks. However, after resuming with last autumn’s trip to the Shropshire Hills, it’s been great to see the group returning to a full programme of trips this year, similar to what we had in previous years, with three contrasting trips from different organisers – although Covid continued to rear its ugly head, with all of them having last-minute cancellations as infections struck.
Kicking things off in early May, we had Tom’s 4-night trip to Arundel in the South Downs, featuring downland, riverside and coastal scenery along with a visit to the impressive Arundel Castle on the Sunday. Many of the group stayed either in B&Bs or self-catering properties in Arundel itself, with another contingent camping a few miles away, and we met up most evenings for meals out and drinks (and for some, an impromptu pub/brewery crawl after one of the walks…)
Next up was Graham’s long weekend trip to Cheddar and the Mendip Hills in July, a little steeper but with some spectacular scenery in spite of one rather wet day, although this was made up for by sunshine the next! Accommodation for most of us was in a set of holiday lodges, which were both comfortable and reasonably priced. Evenings were a combination of cooking in (or takeaways) with our lodge-mates, and a meal out all together as a large group on one evening.
Rounding off the year was a 5-night trip to Snowdonia organised by Shannon and myself. Inevitably, the weather was mixed, but we still made it up to mountain summits (including Snowdon itself) on three of the days, along with a number of lower-level walks and sightseeing activities. Accommodation here was at a fairly isolated youth hostel, in a combination of shared and private rooms and the attached campsite, with meals cooked as a group most evenings and at a pub in the nearest town on one night.
Of particular note is the fact that most of the organisers (apart from myself, as I led my first last year in Shropshire) were doing this for the first time, which is fantastic to see. So if you’re interested in leading a trip next year, don’t be afraid to do so – have a chat to previous trip organisers, myself, or any of the committee. As you can see, there isn’t one model of how a trip should work, there’s quite a bit of flexibility. We already have one on the programme for next year, to the Peak District over Easter, but we hope to get more on there soon!
— Zak, Walks Coordinator
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Learn how I was inspired to join the committee, my experience and how you can join too!
Why did I join the committee?
My first walk with the Berkshire Walkers was in March 2020, the weekend before COVID-19 plunged the UK into lockdown. As soon as I had started my journey into Rambling it abruptly stopped. Although, I consider myself one of the lucky ones being able to work from home, it was difficult because I was on my own most of the time. In the meantime I started walking more in my local area and discovered lots of new footpaths to explore.
Once the BW’s resumed walks, I took up walking with the group again, it was a lifeline for me, to get out and get away from the computer and see other people. I definitely remember feeling significant gratitude to the walk leaders, committee and all the members who navigated all the rules, local lockdowns and still put on a fun & interesting walk despite all of that.
Early in 2021 while in the third national lockdown, I decided I wanted to give back to the group. Walking in between lockdowns with a group gave me additional fitness, discovery of new places, new friends and a better mental wellbeing. I decided the way I wanted to give back was joining the comittee. I talked with the current and former committee members to understand the different roles of the committee and decided that I’d like to stand as committee Chair.
My experience on the Committee
I have to say as Chair its been a very interesting first year. I’ve learnt about how a Ramblers group functions and how our group links up with the Area committee. I’ve learnt how innovative the walk booking system created by the committee was amongst ramblers groups and how we organise our weekly newsletter and website. I’ve also enjoyed listening to our passionate members sharing their ideas for improvements and then working with the committee to discuss how we can change our operating rules as needed.
I’ve also learnt there are so many ways people volunteer in our group and no matter big or small the contribution is always welcome. I would like to say a big thank you to all of this years volunteers in the group, from those that warmly welcome new members, back markers, walk leaders and my fellow volunteers that are on the current committee and all those in between.
How you can you volunteer for the committee?
Our group is run entirely by volunteers and we are seeking volunteers to join the committee for the year ahead to continue making sure the group is a great place to be. The committee team have detailed what the open committee positions are and what they entail. If you see something that interests you please apply online via the form by the 23rd November. The new committee will be elected next Sunday (27th) at our AGM. We have put together a fun programme of events – not 1 but 2 walks in the morning prior to the Annual General Meeting and a pub social afterwards. I look forward to seeing you there!
Grant
Chair of Berkshire Walkers
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From this week, advance sign-up is no longer required for most of our walks, with the exception of the occasional walk which still has a limit on numbers (which will be clearly stated near the top of the walk description, and sign-up for these will now open immediately rather than waiting until a few days before the walk). For all other walks, you can just turn up on the day.
However, we also list our walks on Meetup, which has been one of our most effective ways of recruiting new members, and we would very much encourage you to indicate there if you’re planning to attend one of our walks. This is in no way compulsory, but if regular members engage with the platform then new people will see that there’s a good number of others are going and be more inclined to join.
Why are we changing this?
This is how we (and most other Ramblers groups) always worked in the past, until post-lockdown Covid rules required a way of managing numbers on our walks and supporting contact tracing if necessary (although we never had a case where it was). Now that these rules have been gone for some time, and most walk leaders no longer put a limit on their walks, like many other groups we have decided to simplify things again.
We’re aware that for some walk leaders, especially if you’re new to leading and not yet confident leading a large group, the option to limit numbers is still important – which is why this option is still available as a leader, even though it’s not been the default for a while.
Final notes
Because we won’t have statistics on walk attendance from the sign-up forms, we’ll be resuming taking registers on our walks as we were doing before Covid. To make this easier, if you’re already a member of the Berkshire Walkers or another Ramblers group, please bring your membership card along if you can (although we can manage without if you forget it). The digital version in the Ramblers app will also work, as will a copy of the QR code in one of those apps for managing loyalty cards and the like. (If you’re a walk leader, don’t worry – there will be guidance on this and usually committee members or others who can help on the day.)
Without advance booking, the walk leader won’t know you’re coming, so don’t expect them to wait if you arrive late unless you contact them to let them know – but don’t expect the group to wait more than a few minutes from the listed start time, except in the case where the suggested public transport option is delayed which is likely to affect many participants.
— Zak, Walks Coordinator
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Depending on demand the following are estimated prices for items:
– BW T-shirts (available in unisex or ladies fit) – £9.74;
– BW fleeces (unisex or ladies fit) – £19.36 each;
– BW hoodies (no zip, unisex fit) – £21.16 each;
– BW hoodies (with zip, unisex fit) – £24.41 each;
– BW water bottles – £10.06 each.
Please fill out the google form to order your clothing by Monday 12th December.
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Given the sharp increase in the cost of living, we are asking for voluntary donations from our members to fund the cost of prizes for our Berkshire Walkers Walking Awards Ceremony 2022, rather than including the cost in the Christmas meal tickets.
Each year, we like to let off some steam at the Berkshire Walkers Christmas Meal, and celebrate the hard work of our members – and the fun we’ve had – over the last year, with an award ceremony.
If you weren’t around last year, you can read about the awards and winners from the 2021 award ceremony in our blog post.
This year, awards include “Walk Leader of the Year”, “Social Organiser of the Year”, “Volunteer of the Year” and “Trip of the Year”, to recognise the contributions from our amazing volunteers.
Please join us in thanking the hard working individuals who will win these awards, by donating some spare change to the walking awards prize fund. Typically, we spend around £10 on each prize: our goal is to raise at least £40, so we can award prizes for the main awards.
We are currently asking for nominations for many of the awards – please fill in our nominations form by Saturday 12th November if you have any ideas!
Voting will commence once the nominations have been collated.
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On Sunday 1st May 2022, I stepped out of my comfort zone and led my first walk from Reading to Sonning. It was an easy 6-mile circular walk. I was very nervous about it as I’d never led a walk before and was anxious about leading a big group and making sure everyone enjoyed themselves. Despite the weather, it was really fun and we had a great time. It was also my birthday on that day too.
I’ve been a member of the Ramblers now for just over two years, and I would honestly say they are the nicest people I’ve ever met. For someone who finds it difficult to socialise and is a very shy person, meeting new people within the group has helped me to come out of my shell. I would highly recommend signing up with the Ramblers and joining the Berkshire Walkers. They really are a wonderful bunch of people, and I am so lucky to be a part of this community.
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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a film star? Do you dream of seeing what happens behind the cameras? I’m not sure you’ll be seeing our names in lights anytime soon (sorry guys), but myself, Irina and Jason were recently invited to take part in a publicity shoot for the Ramblers.
The three of us were contacted by Ramblers at the end of last year to ask whether we would be interested in participating in a high profile video. They had recently received some funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery and alongside a company called Immediate Media (they publish the BBC Good Food, Wildlife and Countryfile magazines amongst others) they were going to run a 6 month marketing campaign to help promote walking (particularly amongst the younger less traditional age groups). We all leapt at the chance to get involved, promote walking and to have a day off work!
The shoot was scheduled to take place in Dedham Vale, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Suffolk-Essex border, and would involve the three of us from the BW’s, members from other young walkers groups in the areas (Stags, Surrey and Chiltern) as well as Ramblers staff. We were scheduled to stay in a hotel the night beforehand, and it was to be a full day of filming so it was a great opportunity to meet new people.
A couple of weeks before the shoot we all gathered virtually with the production team to go over the details for the day. As well as things like the covid policy, and the schedule for the day (we were starting pretty early to get the filming in before sunset), they also gave us a briefing on what clothes we should wear. We were asked if possible to wear natural colours that would work well with the landscape, to avoid anything with very obvious branding and to not look like too “serious” a walker (no walking poles please).
On the day, after staying the night in a hotel (yes we made time for an early morning all you can eat breakfast) we arrived at Dedham just as the sun was rising. The village itself was picturesque. A mixture of independent shops, cosy pubs and cute tearooms all set within Georgian architecture and timber framed buildings. Our base for the day was the Sun Inn and once we had said hello to everyone from both the Ramblers and Immediate Media we were kindly gifted some of the brand new Ramblers branded accessories, as we tried our best to colour coordinate.
We were also excited to meet Jimmy Doherty who you may recognise from the tv programme Jimmy’s Farm as well as Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast which he fronted with his best friend Jamie Oliver. As well as being a television presenter and farmer he is also a keen walker so had been asked to front the campaign, and to join us on the shoot.
Once we had all assembled and were suitably attired, we started the walk. A 1.7 km section of path had been chosen for the shoot which might seem short by Ramblers standards but we must have gone up and down the path at least 5 or 6 times over the day (and this included a very muddy gate way which meant every time we passed through we had to climb over the fence…). During the day there were several different types of shots that the production team needed to get. There were still photos being collected to go online and in magazines as well as the videos which would form the heart of the marketing campaign.
During the day we were asked to pose for stills shots (including a selection of props – flapjacks, water bottles and even in one case a lip balm which was clipped to my rucksack and photographed), filmed in group shots walking along the path, as well as interviewed individually in front of the camera. Here we were asked to answer questions, and as they wanted natural responses we weren’t allowed to know the questions in advance. These were things like “why do you enjoy walking?” and “what does the Ramblers do to protect the countryside?”.
The one piece of filming I haven’t mentioned yet is the drone footage. To get some of the more panoramic shots, which showed the beautiful countryside we were walking in a drone was used. This provided a very different challenge. The drone would fly alongside us buzzing away and we had to avoid looking at it, which is easier said than done!
The day culminated with us back at the pub sat in front of the fire, for the last shots of the day. As you will all know no Ramblers experience is complete without a visit to the pub, however unusually for us we were all on soft drinks for filming purposes!
But you may be asking what happened to all of this footage? The campaign has it’s own website (www.letswalktogether.co.uk). Here alongside trying to spot us in the various images and videos you are encouraged to pledge how many miles you can walk in the next year. Currently 1,375,412 miles have been pledged (at the time of writing) and by pledging miles you get the chance to win prizes (including the top prize of £1000 to go towards a walking holiday with Haven holidays). If any of you have subscriptions with Immediate media we will also be popping up within the magazines over the next 6 months.
All in all we had a thoroughly enjoyable day. It was great working with the teams from both Ramblers and Immediate media, as well as meeting new people from nearby young Ramblers groups (so much so that we all stayed behind for a last meal together before we travelled home). The area we were in was stunning (potential for a BW trip?) and luck was on our side weather wise (always a risk on a cold January day). Our members have been involved in several publicity shoots for the Ramblers over the years and if you’re given the opportunity to participate I’d encourage you to grab it with both hands!
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