Social and news

We try to have at least two social events each year, and will update this page each time one is arranged.  If you would like to be kept updated on a more regular basis then please send your email address to info@railrambles.org and we will add you to our mailing list.   

12th July 2025
Our summer social this year will take place at the Raven in Welshpool after a walk of around 5.5 miles.  They offer an extensive menu so please find it by clicking the links here and here – so much choice!  As they need all food orders in well ahead of time, we would ask that you send your food choice selection to treasurer@railrambles.org and can you please also make your payment by the 3rd July.  Our bank account details are shown below:

Account name Mid-Wales and Marches Rail Rambles
Sort code 51-61-06
Account number 73986828 

We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible, these occasions give us a great chance to catch up.  All are welcome, whether or not you decide to come on the walk itself.  On the day we expect to arrive at the pub around 12.45 – 13.00 which will give us time to chat and order drinks before having our lunch which is booked for 13.30.

8th-11th May 2026
Next year we are planning a return visit to Llandudno and on this occasion will be staying at the Merrion Hotel as sadly the Dunoon did not have availability for our group for those dates.   The price for three nights dinner, bed and breakfast will be £307 per person in a twin or double room and £370 in a single room.  Deposits are not required until the autumn but please can you let us know asap if you wish to come along.  We have a number of rooms on allocation and once those are gone then we would have to hope that the hotel could offer more, so the sooner we know who wishes to join us the better.

Our reason for choosing Llandudno again is that there are still plenty of walks we can do and it also offers a good range of accommodation for anyone who wishes to book their own hotel/B&B/hostel while still joining us for the rambles.  

If you click the down arrow by the gallery you will see pages of photos that were taken last year, the scenery was amazing, so check it out if you weren’t with us.

Please email info@railrambles.org with your room requirements, thank you.  Just be aware that due to holiday commitments we may not get back to you as quickly as usual but rest assured all bookings will be dealt with in order.

6th July – Celebrating 35 years of Rail Rambles

After a shortish walk, we had a get together in All Stretton for those who had walked with us that day and in days gone by.  A chance to catch up with old friends and to celebrate the not only our anniversary but the birthday of one of our regular walkers.   It was great to see so many there, and for those who missed out this time we hope to see you at our next social occasion.

Charity fundraising
There are many ramblers who support charities through walking events and we would like to give them a boost on this page. 

On May 25th John Mattocks took part in the Mighty Hike in Bangor, to raise money for Macmillan.  He has so far raised £315 through sponsorship and Just Giving.   If you would like to help boost this to an even bigger amount please click here for a link to his Just Giving page. 

Post Christmas Lunch in Chirk January 2024
We had another lovely meal at The Hand in Chirk and were delighted to see so many there, including some who may not be coming out with us as regularly as they used to.  A big thank you to Pat for all her hard work ensuring that we all got the meals we ordered and to Linda and Joan for organising a very successful raffle.    You can see from the photos below that there were a lot of smiles (and clean plates!).