About us
We are a group of about 90 members, part of the Warwickshire Area Ramblers. We are based in the small, but expanding, market town of Southam, in Warwickshire, near Leamington Spa. The town is near to Banbury, in Oxfordshire, Daventry, in Northamptonshire and Coventry, in the West Midlands, giving us a lot of choice, both of rural and urban areas, for our walks. Our members are drawn from the town and from the surrounding villages.
Our walks
Walks are held on alternate Wednesdays throughout the year. We meet at 9.30 a.m. in the Wood Street car park, in the centre of Southam and share transport to start points, usually in nearby Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, or Oxfordshire, for walks averaging 5 miles. Alternatively, you may join us at the start point, so please keep an eye on our website for full details.
Summer walks for Ramblers and non-Ramblers
Paths and Pub are walks which are also open to the public and take place on alternate Thursday evenings, from May to early-August. All these walks start and finish in Wood Street, so no transport is required.
Longer walks
Occasionally we offer longer walks, such as a day walk in the Cotswolds, with a pub lunch.
The group also looks after The Harry Green Way, a 20-mile circular walk, linking eight villages around Southam. This walk was devised by Harry Green, who was a founder member of Southam Ramblers and Chairman for 20 years. The route was updated and waymarked in Harry's honour in 2007. A booklet describing the route, which is recognised by the Long-Distance Walks Association as a long-distance path, can be found on our website. Members of Southam Ramblers volunteer to look after the path, checking that the route is clear and well signed.
GPX files of the route and many other walks organised by Southam Ramblers in recent years, can also be found on the site.
Social Events
Every year we have social events. This includes an annual evening meal in a local pub, but also events incorporated into our walks, such as mulled wine and mince pies, a picnic, a talk by the local history group, or an outdoor café.
Walk Leaders
We encourage our members to volunteer to lead walks. Most people who do lead walks do it in pairs. Those without experience of leading are offered support in pre-planning and there are always people to help on the day. However, it is important to note that anyone who is a member of Ramblers may come along and join our walks and not lead.
We have a strong committee of volunteers and others in non-committee voluntary roles. Committee members and others who have taken on roles, organise the walks programmes, deal with Ramblers and Southam Ramblers membership and contact issues, liaise with area and national groups and manage the website, the marketing and the newsletter of Southam Ramblers. We encourage others to volunteeer at our A.G.M.