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New ramblers group set to spring up in Borders
2008 Scottish Borders Walking Festival walkers at Caddonhead on a walk in the Moorfoot Hills. There is time to chat to fellow walkers while walking in the late summer days of the festival. Mike Baker/Southern Reporter
RAMBLERS Scotland is setting up a new group in the Borders.
The campaigning charity hopes walkers will join a central Borders group which will meet for the first time in March.
Volunteer area secretary of Ramblers Scotland’s Lothian and Borders section, Martin Davison explained: “There are Ramblers groups at Peebles and Coldstream, but there’s nothing in between and it was felt that, due to the price of fuel, we needed something we could have on our doorstep in the Melrose, Selkirk, Kelso, Galashiels area.”
Representatives from the charity’s Edinburgh office will be at the inaugural meeting and walk at Bowden on Saturday, March 23.
Mr Davison said the new group hoped to add to but be different from existing hiking clubs: “There are other walking groups that we hope to complement. We are planning slightly shorter walks on a Saturday (seven to eight miles) and to do some summer evening walks of about three to four miles. We are more a type of gentle walker. We are hoping to set up a programme of fortnightly walks throughout the year and social activities.
“Other groups have weekends away but being a member of this group would enable people to walk with any of the Ramblers throughout Britain and the Lothian and Borders group are very very active.”
The retired sales manager has been a member of Ramblers Scotland for 10 years and a walker for longer.
He explained the benefits of Ramblers Scotland and why he had joined: “They are a registered charity, they give you an opportunity to met people who are like-minded, it’s safer to walk in groups, they are a professional organisation and encourage training in terms of safety in the hills and they run navigation courses. And on their website there are walks that have been reconnoitred, so you are walking in a safe environment with a friendly group.”
March’s meeting starts at 10.30am and anyone interested should contact Mr Davison to register their interest at martin.bamburgh@virgin.net or call 01835 823833 or 07858 3864854.
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Weather for Galashiels
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
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