What we’re about
The Berkshire Walkers are a walking and social group aimed at people in their 20s and 30s and is part of The Ramblers.
We are based in Berkshire, mainly around Reading, Newbury and Slough, and provide walks at a variety of lengths on weekends and summer evenings. We also have regular socials such as pub meets, meals out, ten-pin bowling and trips to museums and places of interest. All are welcome to join the Berkshire Walkers for a walk, whether you are already a keen walker, or just starting down the path.
Your first three walks are FREE for new members. We are part of the Ramblers and we are always keen to meet new members. You can join here.
Annual membership is exceptionally reasonable (just over £3pm on Direct Debit). Membership also gives you access to our social events that aren't advertised on Meetup and socials happen at least two-three times a month. With membership, you can also join any of the other 500 Ramblers groups, including other Berkshire groups and those nearby in Surrey, Sussex, Oxfordshire, and Hampshire.
Joining The Ramblers in general brings all the benefits of being part of the UK's largest walking organisation, with discounts available in many walking shops (e.g. 15% at Cotswold Outdoor). You will also receive a magazine 4 times a year, about walking in the UK and things that affect your rights to walk through our amazing and varied countryside. Your membership fees also contribute to The Ramblers' efforts to promote walking as a healthy pastime, to campaign for access and to fight for maintained access to our rights of way. What's not to like?
Not all our members are on Meetup, so there will be more people on walks than are shown on Meetup. For a general idea, we typically get 10–20 people on our walks. Please note that our social events are not usually listed on Meetup: our socials are for our walkers only (including those new to the group with an interest in joining), and can be found on our website.
PLEASE NOTE: This event costs £15 per person. To purchase your ticket, you must complete the Google Form and transfer £15 per ticket to the BW bank account.
We hope you’ll join the Berkshire Walkers for our grand SUMMER SPECTACULAR Ceilidh on Saturday 2nd August. It will be an evening of ceilidh dancing, with Scottish Country Dance Band Strathallan providing the live music.
We hope to see as many past and present BW members as possible, as well as friends and family, and ramblers from our neighbouring groups.
Doors will open at 18:30 for a 19:00 start.
For those of you new to ceilidh dancing – don’t fear! We’ll have a ‘caller’ – a person who will teach us the dance moves and shout out the moves we need to do next, making it easy for anyone to join in, no matter how much ceilidh dancing experience you have. We’ll have two sets of dancing from approximately 19:00 to 20:15, and 20:45 to 22:00.
To keep costs down, we won’t be providing food and drink, but you are encouraged to bring your own on the night. There’s also a Co-op down the road.
This event is being organised by the Berkshire Walkers 25th anniversary subcommittee team: Andrew, Ed, Georgia, Michael, Paul and Shannon.
Terms & conditions. The Berkshire Walkers account is used only to streamline payments to suppliers. In the event of a supplier failure Ramblers and Berkshire Walkers are not liable for reimbursement. We are not able to offer refunds for this event. By signing up for this event, you are accepting these T&Cs.
As far as we are aware, the BWs first hosted a ceilidh to celebrate the group’s 10th anniversary. This proved popular, so the group has held several ceilidhs since. We also held a ceilidh for the National Young Ramblers (NYR) weekend when we hosted it in Berkshire, which, in part, led to a ceilidh being a regular feature on NYR weekends. We therefore thought a ceilidh was the ideal way to celebrate the group’s successful 25 years!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- An evening on the Kennet & Avon Canal: Newbury to Thatcham, 4.3 miles, leisurelyNewbury Train Station, Newbury
Today’s evening walk will be at a leisurely pace along the Kennet & Avon Canal from Newbury to Thatcham. From Newbury station, we’ll walk through Newbury Market Square to Northbrook Street, where we’ll turn right onto the Kennet & Avon Canal. This’ll take us past Victoria Park and a couple of marinas before passing Thatcham Lakes towards Thatcham, where we’ll finish the walk. For those who want a pint at this point, we’ll be stopping off at The Swan, which is right next to Thatcham station.
Please see our website for more information about the group.
TRAINS:
The recommended train to get is 18:02 GWR service that arrives in Newbury at 18:16.
DRIVING:
Both Newbury and Thatcham station have car parks, where parking fees apply. Please note, that because this is a linear walk, you'll have to get the train back to wherever you parked you car.
DOGS:
Dogs are welcome on this walk as long as they're well behaved.
Please contact the leader directly if you are delayed on the day or can't find the group (find contact details on our website). We are unlikely to respond to Meetup comments or messages sent on the day in enough time to be helpful.
- A trip to the Seaside: Highcliffe Castle, 8.5 miles, leisurelyHinton Admiral station, Hinton Admiral
This year's trip to the seaside will be a gentle 8.5 miles along the coast from Hinton Admiral station, calling at Highcliffe Castle and exploring the north side of Christchurch Harbour.
Pace: gentle. Ascent: 50m.
This walk will be led by Shannon and Craig.
Please see our website for more information about the group.
Walk details
We'll head out towards the coast from Hinton Admiral station, through Chewton Common. We'll descend to the beach, and walk along the seaside until we reach Highcliffe Castle, sometime around 1pm. You can then choose between lunch on the beach, or heading straight up the hill to the castle.
Although the castle itself isn't open on a Saturday, we should still be able to visit the gift shop or the Castle Pantry Tea Rooms - please be aware that we only intend to stay here for about 45 minutes, and won't have time for a cooked meal, particularly if it's busy. There should also be public toilets here.
After the castle, we'll continue along the coast, descending back to sea level, until we reach Christchurch harbour, adjacent to Hengistbury Head. We'll then walk around the north side of the harbour - the opposite side to the seaside walk last year - and explore Stanpit Marsh Nature Reserve.
Finally, we'll finish the walk in Christchurch and as is tradition, end the day with fish and chips 🐟🍟.
Travel by public transport
From Reading station, catch the 09:52 CrossCountry train which arrives into Southampton Airport Parkway at 10:36. From there catch the 10:42 South Western Railway train which arrives into Hinton Admiral station at 11:31. You can also change between these trains at Southampton Central.
Return trains from Christchurch run at 30 minutes past the hour, every hour till late.
Travel by car
There are car parks at both Christchurch and Hinton Admiral stations, these have 65 and 38 spaces respectively, and need to be paid for using the RingGo app. Christchurch station car park postcode is BH23 1PL, and Hinton Admiral is BH23 7DW.
Advice
- Please bring a packed lunch.
- If it’s sunny, please bring sun cream, a hat, and plenty of water.
Dogs
Dogs welcome provided they are under control at all times and placed on a lead when requested by the walk leader.
Please contact the leader directly if you are delayed on the day or can't find the group (find contact details on our website). We are unlikely to respond to Meetup comments or messages sent on the day in enough time to be helpful.
- OVERNIGHT: Stonehenge Summer Solstice walk, 11 miles, moderateSalisbury Railway Station, Wiltshire, SP2 7RS
This is an overnight walk finishing at Stonehenge, where entry conditions apply – please read carefully.
The walk will start outside Salisbury station before heading into town where we will exit Salisbury alongside the River Avon passing through the Avon nature reserve before crossing over the Avon to climb up to the stone age hill fort of Old Sarum which offers views over towards Salisbury and the cathedral.
On leaving Old Sarum we will head out on various tracks back down into the Avon valley to cross the River Avon at Woodford Bridge. We then head through Great Durnsford village before climbing steeply up to Druids Lodge.
On leaving Druids Lodge we will walk downhill to entry the festival site in time to see the sunrise.
Ascent: 250m.
This walk will be led by Dave.
Please see our website for more information about the group.
Getting to the walk:
Please take the 18:52 train from Reading to Basingstoke changing onto the 19:38 train to Salisbury.
Walk details and entry conditions to Stonehenge:
Please note that this is an overnight walk and as such all walkers will be required to have a head torch or hand torch to take part in this walk.
Please bring sufficient food and drink to last from evening through to the morning as there will be no opportunities to resupply on the walk.
Please bring sufficient warm clothing noting that the temperature will drop in the small hours significantly.
Access to the Stonehenge site is free during the Solstice.
English Heritage enforce strict conditions of entry. Please note they only allow small bags on site. Please familarise yourself with the full conditions of entry at the link below:
Getting home after the walk:
Shuttle buses run every 15 mins from the Stonehenge visistor centre back to Salisbury from 04:00 onwards. The visitor centre is a 1 mile walk from the Stonehenge site.
The first train from Salisbury is at 05:15 then 05:47 both changing at Basingstoke.
Please contact the leader directly if you are delayed on the day or can't find the group (find contact details on our website). We are unlikely to respond to Meetup comments or messages sent on the day in enough time to be helpful.
- ELIZABETH LINE WALK SERIES: Bond Street to Tower Hill, 7.7 miles, leisurelyBond Street Station, W1K 5JN
Today’s walk starts at Bond Street, which is located between the heart of Mayfair and Oxford Street, where we’ll start by make our way towards Hyde Park via Grosvenor Square before heading to the Italian Gardens. Here, we’ll loop around The Serpentine before continue south through Hyde Park towards the Wellington Arch, which we’ll walk through Green Park towards Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Park. At this point, we’ll pass the Queen Victoria Memorial to enter St. James’s Park, which we’ll walk through it and past the lake towards Parliament Square for our lunch stop.
After lunch, we’ll cross over the River Thames on Westminster Bridge before passing the London Eye to walk along the Southbank. This will take us past many historic landmarks as well as bustling riverfront, taking in the architecture and the lively energy of the Thames riverside. This part of the walk also combines the energy of the city with the weight of history and offers a stunning end to it through some of London’s most beautiful and iconic spots. We’ll be finishing the walk by crossing Tower Bridge and around the Tower of London to our finishing point at Tower Hill Tube station.
As this walk’s fully on paved paths and pavements, it’s recommended that you wear comfortable footwear to fully enjoy this walk. For those who want a pint at the end of the walk, we’ll be stopping at The Minories, which is a short walk from Tower Hill Tube station.
Ascent: 27m.
Please see our website for more information about the group.
TRAINS:
The recommended train to get is 09:46 GWR service that arrives at Paddington at 10:11. Here, you then change for 10:26 Elizabeth line service that arrives at Bond Street at 10:29.
DRIVING:
Whilst there's some parking around Oxford Street, the cost of ULEZ makes it expensive to drive and park in London, so it's strongly recommended that you don't drive into Central London. Alternatively, you can park at the car park on the north side of Reading station, where parking fees apply.
Please contact the leader directly if you are delayed on the day or can't find the group (find contact details on our website). We are unlikely to respond to Meetup comments or messages sent on the day in enough time to be helpful.
