Dorset Groups

(page updated 12/03/2010)

There are five Ramblers groups in the Dorset Area and area is co-ordinated by the Area Council that meets four times year in Dorchester. Four of the groups are geographically based and one, the Young Walkers Group, covers the whole county. 

If you join The Ramblers you will either be allocated to a group based on your home address or you can specify a group on your application form. You will receive the walk programme and details relevant to that group. However you can:

• Change to another group for example if you move to another part of the country.
• Join one group and take part in many of the activities organised by other groups, especially walks and path clearances. One method of finding out about other group activities is by requesting the other group's programme from the group secretary (a donation to cover postal costs may be required). This applies to groups outside Dorset too although some operate an e-mail distribution method. Many groups including some Dorset ones are now including walks on the Ramblers' Walks Finder database. Group contacts can be found via Ramblers' Local Groups and by selecting a specific local group you can find out if they have entries on the walks finder database and use preset searches for group entries.

Each Dorset Group produces three programmes of walks and events each year, and the Area Newsletter ("Dorset Footnotes") is timed to link with the distribution of the walk programmes.

The Dorset groups are:

North Dorset Group

The North Dorset Group aims to provide two walks each week, generally a short walk of 5-7 miles on Wednesdays, and a longer one of 9-12 miles on Sunday. 

The North Dorset area covers Evershot in the west to Shaftsbury in the east and Blandford Forum in the south, but walks take place in any part of Dorset as well as South Somerset and SW Wiltshire. The group takes part in footpath work as the occasion arises. 

Find out more about the North Dorset Group at their web site.

South Dorset Group

The South Dorset Group is an active, welcoming Group of the Ramblers' Association.  We have regular walks each week on Wednesday Saturday and Sunday varying in length from 5-12 miles. There is a short walk of 2-3 miles on a Thursday.

All the Group's walks can be found on the Ramblers' Walks Finder . A list of all our walks for the month is displayed in the Tourist Information and Great Western Camping in Dorchester and Comptons Stationery and Art shop St Thomas Street Weymouth.

If you would like to try a walk with us you are welcome to come on any walk but we do taster walks form time to time which are aimed specifically at any one wanting to try a walk. These are about 4-5 miles. You will find them published in the local press, the Echo, the Western Gazette and on posters in Weymouth Library and Comptons shop) and Dorchester (the Library, Tourist Information and Great Western Camping).

As well as regular walks we have coach rambles out of county. We also organize Group walking holidays and recent examples have been in Derbyshire, the Lake District, South Wales, Shropshire and France.
Every summer we like to arrange walks for the local Cheshire Homes when Group members get actively involved in the walk. 

We know that walking in the countryside requires a good footpath network and to that end we have a footpath clearing and maintenance working group.

When the Group are not walking we enjoy and excellent social life. Our Christmas dinner or skittles evenings in the summer which goes with a pub supper usually preceded by a short walk.

Find out more about the South Dorset Group at their web site.

East Dorset Group

The East Dorset Group catchment area includes the Bournemouth/Poole/Christchurch conurbation as well as the area covered by East Dorset and Purbeck District Councils, so not surprisingly it is the largest group. A typical programme includes:

• One or more short /medium length (7 to 12 miles) walk during the week.
• A short/medium/half day walk (5/6 miles) on most Saturdays a month.
• A short walk (7 to 12 miles) and a long walk (13 to 17+ miles) most Sundays.
• There are occasional evening walks (2 to 3 hours) in the summer.
• Two or three weekend treks (on a Bank holiday weekend) in another part of the country during the spring and summer programmes
• Six footpath clearing days during the winter program arranged with Dorset County Council.

Many of our group walks are listed on Ramblers' Walks Finder especially the ones suitable for potential new members.

Walks are not confined to East Dorset and often include other parts of Dorset and neighbouring counties and occasionally further away.

In the past most walks have only been accessible by private transport. However in 2006 a scheme to make more walks accessible by public transport (and shown on the programme as accessible) was launched.

The Group programme includes a Group newsletter “Rambling On”.

The Group is in the process of re-establishing a system of parish path patrollers who walk all the paths in their parish and report or deal with problems locally. The Group has five Footpath Secretaries (one for each local authority area) >who belong to the Dorset Area Footpath Committee and deal with footpath network matters in their allocated areas.

Find out more at the East Dorset Group's web site

West Dorset Group

The West Dorset group walks vary in length from 3 to 14 miles and their programme also includes social functions. Newcomers are especially welcome on their Sunday strolls (typically 3 miles) in the Bridport area.

The Dorset Young Walkers Group caters specially for younger members throughout Dorset. particularly those in their 20s and 30s

Find out more at the Dorset Young Walkers web site