Our question whether Coventry CHA Rambling Club, celebrating its centenary this year, was the country's oldest, generated a flurry of correspondence. The key contenders:
| Bradford & Leeds Rambling Club | 1903 | bradfordwalking.org |
| Leicestershire Footpath Association | 1887 | leicestershirefootpaths.wordpress.com |
| Forest Ramblers' Club (Epping) | 1884 | forestramblers.org.uk |
There may still be older out there...?
Ray Wilkes, Bradford, writes how in 1990 'the name Páramo entered the club's vocabulary' when he answered an ad to try a new waterproof. Giving his feedback, he was asked to try a mountain prototype. "Soon after, we were on Hadrian's Wall walking into heavy driving rain the whole day. At the end only two people were dry, someone in a heavy sailing cag and me in Páramo. Everyone else was cold, soaked through and miserable. The Páramo takeover had begun!" The 240 members have walked all over the UK – including a Millennium special from Bradford to the Dome, and a centenary walk to Edinburgh.
Do you regularly walk in a group? We'd love to hear about your walking companions – human or animal – how you came to be walking together, your group's name (we recently met The Julia Bradburys!) and your plans. Tell us at marketing@paramo.co.uk
