Walking can help you stay healthy and live longer, control your weight, keep happy, enjoy time with friends and family, learn more about your local area and look after the environment. And almost everyone can do it, anywhere and at any time, for free.
These pages cover our work to promote walking for health, leisure and transport to everyone, of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, in towns and cities as well as in the countryside. To find out more, use the links on the left, read an overview of our work, or see what's new below.
| If you're looking for help, advice and support to do more walking yourself, try our First steps section aimed at people new to walking. |  |
What's new
Making mapping free: Ramblers respond to Ordnance Survey consultation
Late in 2009 the government consulted on proposals to make significant amounts of Ordnance Survey (OS) mapping data free for use and re-use , changing radically the current solution where OS mapping can only be re-used under complex and expensive licensing arrangements. We generally support this proposal which could deliver the great social benefit of making walking promotion easier and cheaper. However we are concerned that the government needs to ensure a realistic income stream to maintain the quality of mapping and the availability of paper maps. Read more on the Transport policy page.
Independent researchers recognise benefits of family walking project
A team of independent researchers from Oxford and Loughborough universities researching Ramblers' Furness Families Walk4Life project found it was well delivered and successful in benefiting families with young children, a target audience other walking projects have found difficult to reach. The project, funded by the Department of Health, was based at children's centres run by partner charity Action for Children, and the researchers say there is scope to deliver it in centres across the country. Follow the link below to read the full report and view a video of what the project meant to one young mum.
Step change for Get Walking website
The newly launched Get Walking Keep Walking website aims to help 150,000 people get walking to improve their physical and mental health over the next two years as part of a pioneering Lottery funded initiative to help inactive people living in inner cities incorporate regular walking into their everyday lives. The success of Get Walking is also celebrated in 2009's Travel Actively report, including case studies of our partnerships with Birmingham ArtsFest and an innovative scheme at a South London GP.
Tipsy Toddlers kick start 75th anniversary Baton Walks
West Cornwall’s annual Trencrom Tipsy Toddle on New Year’s Eve provided the launch pad for the Ramblers’ 75th Anniversary Baton Walks, which will see local Ramblers ‘walk’ a baton around England, Scotland and Wales throughout 2010. Over 40 walkers of all ages strolled to the giant megalith at Trencrom for mulled wine, soup and mince pies. The baton is travelling around Cornwall in January, before being handed over to Devon in February. Follow its progress and find out about joining in the walks on our special 75th anniversary website.
It's my country: Welcoming Westminster residents to green space
Richmond Park, Hampstead Heath and Greenwich Park are among the places visited in It's my country, a Ramblers pilot project funded by Westminster City Council. With the support of volunteers from the Metropolitan Walkers "hike" Group, we're providing a series of short easy walks in the countryside and green space in and around London for residents of one of the borough's most deprived wards. We're also helping participants to keep walking after the organised walks have finished, by giving them confidence, information and support to set up a walking group.
Helping your organisation spread the benefits of walking with DIY+
Alongside free Get Walking Packs for individuals, we now offer extra help for councils, NHS bodies and third sector organisations delivering services to people in England who could benefit from being more physically active. These include staff and volunteer training, motivational sessions, researching local walking routes and led walks.
Walk4Life Toolkit
Ramblers is one of the development partners of the Walk4Life toolkit, compiled for the NHS's Change4Life movement to help people eat well, move more and live longer. The toolkit is full of tips and games to help families get active in their local area through walking more – whether for leisure or as part of their daily routine.
Facts and figures show benefits of walking
Raising walking levels could deliver a huge range of individual and social benefits. The evidence shows that people who walk regularly can halve the risk of heart disease and strokes, reduce blood pressure, lose weight and reduce their risk of certain cancers. Walkers also spend more money in local businesses, deter crime through the "eyes on the street" effect, go places without causing pollution and have more local friends. All this and more is revealed in our new digest of facts and figures on the benefits of walking.
Getting People Walking update
The first of a series of updates for Ramblers volunteers on our work promoting walking is now available on our Volunteer News pages.
Get Walking Day 2009
Get Walking Day expanded in 2009 with hundreds of short, easy walks across
the country and other walking events. Over 3,000 people took part, 1,500 of them walking with Ramblers for the first time. Get Walking Day 2010 will take place on May 23 as part of the Ramblers' 75th anniversary celebrations, providing an even greater opportunity for thousands of people across England, Scotland and Wales to celebrate walking and raise awareness of its benefits by enjoying a walk with the Ramblers.
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Ramblers supports the Change4Life movement. In order to maintain a healthy weight we need both to eat well and move more. Many families are making changes that will help them live healthier and longer lives. Visit www.nhs.uk/change4life or call 0300 123 4567 for more information.
