In the distant summer of 1967, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band reached number one and the BBC broadcast its first colour programmes to a nation that still had black and white televisions. That summer also saw the first meeting of Winchester Ramblers, with our very first walk promoted in the Hampshire Chronicle (3rd August 1967) as ‘Rambling in The Rain – Pioneer Walk to Twyford. A lot has changed over those 58 years but Winchester Ramblers with nearly 400 members remains true to its origins – we still often walk to Twyford, and rain seems to have become an increasing feature of our walks!
We were founded to promote the enjoyment of country walking, encouraging everyone to get outside and discover for themselves how walking boosts health and well-being. As well as leading 5 walks every week, Winchester Ramblers actively monitors and improves local footpath conditions, and working closely with Hampshire County Council we can often be found out and about, clearing overgrown paths and replacing stiles with kissing gates. We work to ensure that current and future generations can enjoy both the beauty of the countryside and the health benefits of walking.
We are very excited to announce two big public events during 2025, where we look forward to welcoming members of the public to join our guided walks: From June 20-22 we will be running our second “Winchester Walking Weekend”, featuring a variety of long and short, free guided walks around the local area, and to coincide with a major new art exhibition “Every Step of the Way”, to be held at multiple locations along the South Downs, we will be hosting “walks with artists” on the South Downs Way this spring and summer, where exhibiting artists will talk about their works while walking the areas of landscape that inspired them.
We will also be joining in the celebrations of 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen in Hampshire, with some Jane Austen based walks.
Winchester Ramblers offers a comprehensive weekly programme of at least 5 walks for differing abilities and interests, varying from 3 to 11 miles (and more). Non-members are always welcome to join us for up to 3 “taster walks” before deciding if Ramblers is for them.
Details of upcoming walks and the above events can be found at ramblers.org.uk/winchester
