City of Birmingham Group of the Ramblers' Association

Updated: 10-11-08

Family Rambling Day

Our 2008 family rambling day took place on the afternoon of the 5th of July. It was a circular buggy-friendly walk of 4½ miles with options for short cuts. If you are interested in taking part in a half-day ramble for families with children in 2009, please send a message to the Committee via the contacts page.
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In past years we have visited various parks in the Birmingham area, where members and friends could bring children and grandchildren. Such a family walk day allows us to introduce young people of various ages to short walks. The very young are taken on a walk of perhaps 1 mile, while older children and interested members venture somewhat further. Generally our friends the meerkats, are able to join us on these walks.

Whereas the Family Rambling Day has sometimes been organised at the beginning of May (and once in June), in 2007 we had hoped to move the day to September, but this has not been possible. With sufficent enthusiasm, we hope to organise a family ramble in the future.~~~~
View below some details of earlier Family Rambling Days, and a few photos:

2006 Family Ramble
2005 Family Ramble
2004 Family Ramble

Rambling Day in Trittiford Park.

On 1st of may 2006 the Rambling Day took place in Trittiford Park. It was quite popular, but mainly atttended by adult members and visitors. Below a photo of spring in Trittiford Park.

Rambling Day in Redditch Arrow Valley Park

. On 16 June 2005 we went to the Arrow valley Park in Redditch. Two walks were organised: a very short walk around the lake for the two little ones, and a 4 mile walk for a numberr of adult members. After the walks the two groups met in the Visitors' Centre to round of the day.

Rambling Day in the Lickey Hills Country Park

On the 1st of May 2004 a number of the Birmingham Ramblers with children and grandchildren of various ages met at the Lickey

Hills Visitor Centre, where one of the Rangers took the group into the wilder part of the Country Park.

The guided walk turned to be an "off-path" ramble, so that the one Meerkat delegate who was hoping to take part was unable to follow us in the wilds where we had to negotiate fallen trees and overhanging branches. Yet we passed several unexpected statues in this wilderness: a metal table, inviting people to write on the shining surface, a little further on a 'Green Man'

encircling a clearing with his long arms - which offered plenty of places to perch upon -

and a tall, imposing Goddess of the Woods.

Here are some of our young ones looking up at her unscrutable face. Thereafter the ramble turned into a mini-safari: we spotted rare yellow ladybirds on the bark of a tree and all kinds of beetles in the decaying wood of fallen logs.

At one stage it started to rain. The wet weather led to a mixed response from some of the younger participants, interest in the characteristics of puddles as well as a desire to get out of the rain.

After the end of the official walk, a number of us stayed behind to partake in the delights offered at the visitor centre.

We hope you will join us and introduce the younger generation to the pleasures of walking.