Campaigns/Issues

With drastic cuts to England and Wales’ local authority budgets, the impact on footpaths is beginning to bite. We investigate the plight of walkers in Norfolk and West Riding and meet some of the Ramblers volunteers that are helping to ease the situation…

The gear industry depends on the beautiful outdoors to keep us spending. But what is it doing to protect our natural environment, and how can we as walkers ensure that what we’re buying is ethical? John Manning explores what’s available and provides some top tips for being eco-friendly with your kit…

Every year, hundreds of applications are made to divert footpaths all over England and Wales, and the Ramblers keeps a watchful eye on all of them. But only a few are challenged on the grounds of protecting a route’s historical character…

From the South West Coast Path to the Pennine Way, National Trails are our most popular and successful walking routes. But the Government wants to change how they’re managed. David Foster examines the proposals and hears the concerns of several parties who’ll be most closely affected by them…

Every day, Ramblers volunteers and staff are involved in legal battles to protect and extend our precious network of footpaths and public access to the countryside. Andrew McCloy uncovers the extraordinary work they do and a few of their greatest legal victories…

Fancy creating your own routecards? Guidebook writer Andrew McCloy asks fellow authors and route developers for their tips, and uncovers the Ramblers’ new web project, which allows anyone to plot and share their favourite walks…

With the Ramblers becoming the new home of Walking for Health – supporting the largest network of health-walk schemes across England – Julia Buckley investigates the powerful effect it has on people’s lives and how it fits with the charity’s vision…

It’s a world first for Wales! The Wales Coast Path is the only formal walking trail to follow every dramatic twist and turn of a nation’s coastline. So, as the country gears up for the path’s official opening event, Julian Rollins uncovers the 40-year story of its creation…

With its Red Tape Challenge, the Government promises to cut whole swathes of regulation deemed unnecessary or burdensome. But vital laws protecting footpaths and countryside access are also under review, and the impact for walkers if they’re lost – as Andrew McCloy uncovers – could be devastating…

It’s been described as the most significant event in the century-old battle for the right to roam on Britain’s mountains and moors…