
What we’re about
Wiltshire Wanderers are a friendly welcoming walking group that covers Wiltshire and the immediate surrounding counties.
We are not a dating group or a singles group, but we have many single people and couples walking with us.
We used to be a group tailored for 20s-40s and was affiliated to the Ramblers, but this ceased in December 2016 and now take anyone interesting in walking from 20 to 80!
Our walks are generally on a Sunday morning from 10 or 10:30 am and can be from 6 to 15 miles in length. We also do Saturday walks during the summer and shorter evening walks as well during this time of between 4 and 6 miles.
We strive to put on 2 walks a month, all over Wiltshire and surrounding counties, and we also sometimes do walks with the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) where the length of walk can go up to 26 or 40 miles in a day.
We are not a group for children or disabled (in wheelchair) walkers, though walkers with dogs are welcome, provided they are well behaved and on leads.
Please remember to wear good walking clothing such as walking trousers, wet weather clothing is also advisable (water proofs top and bottom, gaiters etc), good stout walking boots with ankle support with or without walking socks, and please also remember to bring plenty of water with you on our walks. Sometimes its advisable to bring an extra pair of shoes and socks to change into after our walks if the walking boots are muddy, for you to enter pubs or your car home. Please do not wear jeans as if they get wet they take ages to dry and are not ideal for walking in.
We can offer lifts to members to share on transport costs. Ring the walks organiser before the walk starts.
We generally always go to the pub for a drink and sometimes an optional meal after the walk, so if you want to join us, you may want to bring some money.
We ask all walkers to contribute to the cost of running this meetup group by means of small donations per walk of up to a £2.
For 8 years David paid out the Meetup fee of approx £200 a year, but in 2020 decided to charge a fee per person per walk. We sometimes ask for an upfront deposit for some walks as well as weekends to prevent timewasters. A standard flat fee applies to all walking lengths. Try running a group if you feel short changed. David has been shortchanged by £1600! Where is the money going to come from? Thin air?
There is also a fee of £60 per year which goes to the Ramblers, for affilation and group insurance. We don't make a profit on the fees paid, and have expenses just like any other meetup group.
- That by signing up for this Group, you accept that you take part entirely at your own risk.
- Where as organisers are facilitating activities, he or she will not be held legally or otherwise responsible for any accidents or other mishaps during any walk. Outdoor activities are never without risks. " Those who take part consent to the Risk involved"
- If you have any doubts about you abilities, the weather conditions or the terrain or the ground, you must discuss it with your Organiser before the start of the Walk.
- Please advise your fellow Walkers as early as possible if you encounter difficulties during a Walk or if you see another Walker with problems.
This group is organised and run by a group of organisers, and no one individual has total control. We have a committee which meets regularly, to decide the direction the group takes.
The organiser name, "Wiltshire & Swindon Organisers" isn't a single person, but a collective of organisers who have access to this account. You might think it odd that no one person is in control, and we are not here to mislead people. It is merely to prevent any one person having a monopoly of control, as well as ensuring that one person doesn't do all the work as is often the case. Also if one organiser wants to move away, dies, leaves the country or whatever, the group is sustainable.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Ironbridge Walking / History Weekend Part 2YHA Coalbridge Ironbridge, Coalport
This is part two of a trip to Ironbridge and it's museums. The group went in 2021 and visited 4 musuems including Blists Hill Victorian Town, Tar Tunnel, Jackfield Tile Museum, and Coalport China Museum.
This time around we will look at the remaining museums in Ironbridge.
There will be plenty of walking, just around a museum, or between places.
I am staying at the YHA Ironbridge Coalport for 2 nights and have taken advantage of YHA's January 20% off sale.
https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-ironbridge-coalport
https://www.ironbridge.org.uk/visit/### YHA Ironbridge Coalport
John Rose Building, High Street, Coalport, Shropshire, TF8 7HT
- Walking Weekend in Malham Yorkshire Dales - Gorsdale Scar + White Scar CaveYHA Malham, Malham
This is an epic walking weekend based at YHA Malham, which is just a short distance from the famous Malham Cove, Malham Tarn and Gordale Scar in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
Heading a little further a field from Malham, the market town of Skipton offers a medieval castle, boat trips on the Leeds Liverpool canal plus boutique shops and cafés.
Day 1
We will walk to Gordale Scar, and attempt to walk up to Malham Cove & Tarn, depending on the waterfall volume. Plus look at Janets Foss.One of the jewels in the crown of the National Park, this awesome hidden gorge at Gordale has wowed visitors for hundreds of years and inspired famous artists and writers.
Like Malham Cove, this impressive natural feature was formed on the Middle Craven Fault. Unlike the Cove, however, the torrents of glacial meltwater that flowed over it cut down through faults in the rock. Successive Ice Ages have carved it deeper and deeper over thousands of years to create the deep gorge we see today. It was not formed by a giant cave collapsing as some have suggested. However, several smaller caves collapsing over the centuries probably contributed to the gorge being so deep.
It has to be one of the UKs special places to visit. If your the adventurous type, you can climb up the centre of the waterfall and walk along side the scar, then head out to Malham tarn, returning on the opposite valley leading to the top of Malham cove and back into the village. Once walked, never forgotten. A truly remarkable and beautiful landscape.
There is a walk up the hill for those like me wishing to preserve my limbs!
Drone Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEheI4lKdLQLinks/Videos
https://www.thereluctantexplorers.com/janets-foss-and-gordale-scar
Trustpilot Gordale Scar
https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/places/gordale_scar/Gordale Scar Waterfall Climb North Yorkshire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUc1HMlWGEA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btops8PkiC8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWQTeXT7nU4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVoZJcppXuA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE-a8cQctZU
Short Walk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8p2Zf1PQq4Day 2
This is something special, we will visit White Scar Cave.White Scar Cave, Britain’s longest show cave, enjoys a magnificent setting in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Visit the show cave and experience the natural wonders of the subterranean world without having to dress in special gear and lug equipment around. Paths and lights let you walk past cascading waterfalls, and between massive banks of flowstone, to the enormous ice-age cavern with its thousands of stalactites.
https://whitescarcave.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8-SaFBDCd8I am staying at the YHA Malham, which is surrounded by classic limestone scenery and with a prime location in the centre of the village, the hostel boasts a well-appointed restaurant, pretty grounds and a vast range of bedroom types, including the recent addition of en-suite facilities. Take advantage of YHA January 20% sale. Book now to avoid paying extra. Use the promo code JANSALE-25 at the checkout.
- Lake District Weekend - Exclusive stay at YHA Black Sail only 6 placesYHA Black Sail Black Sail Hut, Cleator£87.75
This is a bucket list item!
This is the YHA's most remotest hostel. You can't drive up to it, only by foot or bike.
This is a walking weekend in a stunning location, and we have the opportunity to climb up Haystacks, Pillar or Great Gable. The exact iterany is yet to be determined, dependent on the weather and walking abilities of the group.
Location, location, location. Quite simply, that is what YHA Black Sail is all about.
Remote and accessible only on foot, it’s a unique rural retreat that lovers of the great outdoors can normally only dream about.
Located in a traffic-free valley, it’s as tranquil as a stay in the Lakes gets. Those on walking, hiking and climbing holidays will value the superb access to nearby peaks including Great Gable, Pillar, Red Pike and Steeple.
- Unique location at the head of the Ennerdale Valley
- YHA's most remote youth hostel
Parking: YHA Black Sail is only accessible by foot or bike. The nearest road is 2.5 miles away in the Buttermere valley, accessing the hostel via 'Scarth Gap pass'. Guests can leave their cars in the Bowness Knott car park and walk or cycle 6 miles up the Ennerdale valley to the hostel. Vehicles are not authorised beyond the gate at Bowness Knott.
Walkers and ramblers can try the high-level traverse under Pillar Rock up to the summit of Pillar and along the ridge to Black Sail pass with spectacular views of Scafell and Great Gable.
The Ramblers recommend: From this most remote of hostels, head up Scarth Gap and over the top of Haystacks. After Blackbeck Tarn, head south east to Brandreth and join the path to the summit of Great Gable. Ensure you're properly prepared and you'll be rewarded with a spectacular mountain panorama.
If you love mountain biking, travel light and bike up to YHA Black Sail before conquering two of the toughest lakeland passes - Scarth Gap and Black Sail Pass. These both offer stunning views of the Ennerdale valley and Wasdale.
I have booked a room of 8, which is available on a first come first serve basis. There will be a fee of £87.75 per person, payable to me to get you on this. Your RSVP will only be confirmed once I receive funds.
Pay me using your name as reference to the following account:-
Sort Code 09-01-26, Account number 75326518, Mr D Preston. Or use paypal.https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-black-sail?startDate=15/08/2025&endDate=17/08/2025&males=1
### YHA Black Sail
Black Sail Hut, Ennerdale, Cleator, Cumbria, CA23 3AX
#### Map references
OS Map: 89
OS Grid Ref: NY194124
Lat/Lng: 54.500346, -3.244845
what3words fights.rainbow.short#### Contact information
Phone: +44 345 371 9680
Email: blacksail@yha.org.uk