We are reviewing our guidance regularly in response to the latest government advice. Our priority is to protect the health of our members, volunteers and staff and to help suppress the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The easing of lockdown measures allows more freedom for walkers. However, the advice remains to limit your contact with others.
We are delighted that some Ramblers volunteering activities can now be done safely and in line with the latest government advice – read more.
Group walks remain suspended in Wales. However, we are gradually introducing some pre-booked small group walks in England and Scotland, for those groups who wish to walk together now. It is important to stress that these will be very different to group walks pre-lockdown and it may be some time before small group walks are up and running again where you live. Our walk leaders will be carefully considering the best approach in your local area. Please always refer to your local group and our go walking page for the latest information.
Government rules for walking and exercise outside
Currently the key rules relevant to walkers are:
- From 4 July, people in England can exercise alone, with members of your household (or support bubble), or with up to five other people from outside your household. Two households can also meet. You should maintain a distance of 2m between people from different households, or 1m plus mitigations (such as face coverings or avoiding face-to-face contact) where 2m is not possible. Some areas of the country may have additional local restrictions in place. We advise that you always refer to the latest government guidance regarding restrictions that may apply in your local area. Read more.
- In Scotland, from 10 July people can meet outdoors in groups of up to 15, from a maximum of five households, while maintaining 2m distance between households.
- In Wales, people can form an extended household with one other household allowing them to exercise together. People from two different households can meet each other outdoors with no limit on the number of people, provided the 2m physical distancing guidelines are followed.
There are no longer restrictions to how far you can travel to go for a walk in any of the three nations, but please look out for localised restrictions that may be introduced in some areas.
Our advice to walkers
Whether alone, with your family or with members of another household, we advise all walkers to:
1 – Be prepared
Make sure your destination is open and ready to receive visitors
2 – Be safe
Continue to maintain good hygiene and physical distancing and self-isolate if you are showing coronavirus symptoms or have been in contact with anyone who is infected.
3 – Be considerate
Be sensitive to rural communities if considering travelling further from home to walk and make sure to follow the Countryside Code (England and Wales) and Access Code (Scotland).
Know where you can walk
Guidance is changing regularly and the rules for accessing the outdoors differ in England, Wales and Scotland. For an overview of the situation in each nation, including any restrictions on public access, click here. If you are concerned that a path has been blocked illegally or restrictions have been put in place unlawfully, please report this to your local authority.
Questions
We are working to keep our members, volunteers and partners updated with the latest information on our response to COVID-19 virus via our usual communications channels. This webpage will be updated with the latest information, and will support members and volunteers in communicating how Ramblers GB is responding to the COVID-19 virus.
