Surveys indicate that the extensive led walks programme run across England, Scotland and Wales by many thousands of dedicated volunteers is one of the principal reasons why people join, stay with or, unfortunately, leave the Ramblers. With building membership one of our top priorities, it's therefore vital that we understand more about this important area of our activities.
As part of this work, staff at the Ramblers main office have been analysing the walks details listed on the Group Walks Finder. Although the Walks Finder removes walks details from public view once they are out of date, a full archive of all walks listed has been stored on the system since it launched in 2002. And with over 80% of Ramblers Groups now using the Walks Finder, this provides an excellent source of information on led walks.
The following table is based on walk listings for the previous three Ramblers business years (October-September). It's important to remember when interpreting the figures that, as well as a minority of Groups not listing their walks, some information may not be listed fully or accurately. In particular volunteers listing walks on the system may not indicate features like family friendly and car free even if they are applicable. There is also some anecdotal evidence to suggest walk leaders tend to underestimate lengths.
| Year | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| Walks listed | 30067 | 31273 | 33240 |
| Walks with length listed (1) | 28997 | 29318 | 32006 |
| % with length listed | 96.44 | 93.75 | 96.29 |
| Average length | 7.81 | 7.92 | 7.9 |
| Median length | 7.5 | 8 | 8 |
| Up to 3 miles | 607 | 599 | 791 |
| 2.09 | 2.04 | 2.47 |
| 3-5 miles | 6231 | 6411 | 6765 |
| 21.49 | 21.87 | 21.14 |
| Total under 5 miles | 6838 | 7010 | 7556 |
| 23.58 | 23.91 | 23.61 |
| 5-10 miles | 17386 | 17105 | 18694 |
| 59.96 | 58.34 | 58.41 |
| 10+ miles | 4773 | 5203 | 5756 |
| 16.46 | 17.75 | 17.98 |
| Dogs welcome | 4329 | 4023 | 4912 |
| 14.4 | 12.86 | 14.78 |
| Car free | 2456 | 2564 | 3627 |
| 8.17 | 8.2 | 10.91 |
| Family friendly | 390 | 456 | 419 |
| 1.3 | 1.46 | 1.26 |
| Starts after 17:00 (evening) | 1636 | 1740 | 1913 |
| 5.44 | 5.56 | 5.76 |
Note (1) – not all walk listings include a length. The figures on lengths are therefore based on only those walks that included a length,
We are carrying out further analysis to break these figures down, in particular by nation (England, Scotland, Wales), and will continue to publish findings in the Volunteer news section.
If your Group is not currently using the Group Walks Finder and would like to do so, please see www.ramblers.org.uk/volunteer/groupwalksfinder.
