Our walks are usually somewhere between 7 and 10 miles long, though we also do a few shorter and a few longer ones. The gentlest are almost flat, and the most challenging involve steep gradients and well over 2,000 feet (600 metres) of climbing.
We walk from railway stations along all the lines out of Shrewsbury. Our core walking areas are the hills of South Shropshire and Mid-Wales, but we also frequently visit the meres, canals and farmland of North Shropshire and Cheshire, the rolling countryside of North Herefordshire and the coastal paths of Cardigan Bay. Occasionally we might head into Birmingham for an urban adventure or go further afield to North Wales, the Malverns or the edge of the Brecon Beacons.
The programme will tell you where each walk is going, how long it is and what grade it is:
- A “moderate” grade indicates some steep paths and a steady pace for people with country walking experience and a good level of fitness. This will be the grade you see most often on the programme.
- “Moderate+” walks are similar in nature to moderate walks but have a generally greater level of difficulty.
- A “leisurely” grade means gentle climbs and some level ground for reasonably fit people.
- “Easy” means mostly level ground and a gentle pace.
If you’re familiar with the grades used by many Ramblers groups, you’ll see that ours are similar but not quite the same.
Most of our walks use off-road, sometimes rough, hill and field paths and include minor obstacles such as stiles, but we also include quiet lanes and towpaths in some walks.
We often meet livestock, mostly just sheep but sometimes cattle or even horses. Our leaders may divert (if they can) to avoid cattle or horses, but will only do so if they feel it’s really necessary for the comfort or safety of the group.
A few walks include features which may be unsuitable for vertigo sufferers. Look out for walk descriptions including “aqueduct”, “Pontcysyllte” or (obviously) “cliff” or “bridge” and contact us if you need further advice (sometimes leaders can offer an alternative way round).
We try to keep the pace moderate as we believe it’s important to have time to enjoy the beautiful countryside we are walking through. However, some train timings are tighter than others, so occasionally the leaders might have to increase the pace somewhat.
If you need further information on a specific walk to help you choose, just get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.