Britain’s walking charity, The Ramblers, in partnership with Cotswold Outdoor, will be running the national competition throughout August and into September, to coincide with the most popular time of the year for exploring the great outdoors.
From a rugged route to a sweeping coastal trail or a scenic cut-through you’ve discovered on your journey to work, The Ramblers want to see, hear about and celebrate the paths in Somerset that mean the most to you.
Britain’s paths are a national treasure; they show us the way, bring us closer to nature and can often be the start of great adventures. As part of the competition, when you submit a photo, you will be invited to tell the Ramblers why the path you’ve chosen is so special to you. Is it a path you used to walk with your grandparents, the path that leads to the place you met your partner, or perhaps a path where you spend many happy walks with your four-legged companion?
A panel of expert judges, including award-winning adventurer Alastair Humphreys, and Head of Paths at The Ramblers, Jack Cornish, will choose eight finalists which will then be put to a public vote. The overall winner will have their photo displayed on a major billboard.
Jack Cornish said: “Here at The Ramblers we are passionate about shining a light on the incredible network of paths, tracks and trails up and down Great Britain. This fun and free to enter competition can be done on a walk from your doorstep, or while on holiday in Scotland, England or Wales, and there are almost 200,000 miles of mapped paths to choose from! It’s a great opportunity to get out and really celebrate the paths we rely on while enjoying the great outdoors this summer.”
The Ramblers work across Britain to ensure paths are not overlooked and under loved. Thousands of volunteers, who are at the heart of their communities, work alongside local authorities to protect them for everyone to enjoy. Without this vital work, paths can become blocked, lost or impassable. Visit www.ramblers.org.uk and download the Ramblers quick guide to paths, tracks & trails for information on what makes a great path, the work the Ramblers does to maintain them and how you can get involved. them and how you can get involved.
Everyone who enters Britain’s Favourite Path competition will receive a discount code to use in Cotswold Outdoor stores. The Ramblers will award the chosen winner of the Britain’s Favourite Path competition with £200 worth of Cotswold Outdoor vouchers and each finalist will receive a runner’s up prize of £50 in vouchers. The competition closes 8th September.
Find out more and enter the competition at: www.ramblers.org.uk/competition
Judging panel for Britain’s Favourite Path
Jack Cornish – Head of Paths at the Ramblers
Alastair Humphreys – Author and adventurer
Bethany Handley – Writer, poet and disability activist
Mark Chung – Path maintenance volunteer and Ramblers trustee
Lucy Sutton – Marketing Director at Cotswold Outdoor
Suzanne Goldsmith – Creative Manager at Cotswold Outdoor
About the Ramblers:
The Ramblers is Britain’s walking charity. We open the way so everyone can get out and go walking – in towns and cities, through fields and forests, along coastlines or mountaintops. Across Britain, we break down barriers that stand in the way and give more people the opportunity to walk. The Ramblers acts to protect paths and ensure they are properly registered as public rights of way, working to save thousands of miles of paths that could be lost forever through our Don’t Lose Your Way campaign. All year round, teams of Ramblers volunteers keep paths clear and well-maintained for more people to enjoy. This includes putting up waymarks to help walkers know they’re sticking to the right path. Last year the Ramblers volunteers organised 40,000 group walks and our partners organised 30,000 short health-focused walks called Ramblers Wellbeing Walks. These walks helped over 136,000 people experience the pleasures of walking and spend time in green spaces, connecting with nature.
About The Ramblers Outdoors Unlocked
The Ramblers is calling on the new government to introduce a transformational new Access to Nature Bill. This bill will break down barriers to the outdoors so everyone in England can enjoy the benefits of walking in nature. Better access could transform the nation’s health and wellbeing and boost economic growth in local communities. Right now, the path network alone adds 3,000 healthy years of life to the population. It’s easy to think everyone has the same opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. But look a little deeper and you’ll find lots of barriers standing in the way. In some cases, there is simply nowhere to walk nearby – in this green and pleasant land, 21 million of us don’t have accessible green or blue space within a 15-minute walk of our home. Imagine the possibilities if the next government opened up the outdoors for all. Find out more at https://www.ramblers.org.uk/what-we-care-about/outdoors-unlocked
