Welcome to the Harrogate Group of the Ramblers
AGM and important proposed new changes as to how Harrogate Ramblers is orangised
This year’s AGM will be held on Saturday 7 November 2026 at Trinity Methodist Church, Trinity Road, Harrogate, HG2 9AU. As last year, we will have a walk starting from the Church before the meeting with the walk ending at the Church where you will be invited to eat your packed lunch in the church hall before the start of the AGM at 2 pm. Members who do not wish to join the walk will be very welcome to bring a packed lunch and join the walkers in the church hall after 1 pm. Non-members are welcome but only Harrogate Group members are eligible to vote.
The group has struggled for many years to attract new committee members. Many of the current committee have been in office for considerable time. At this year’s AGM, our Vice Chairman is stepping down and currently we do not have anyone to replace him.
The committee is recommending changing to a Flexigroup within the Ramblers organisation. This is a format offered by Ramblers and is a simpler set up: the group will no longer have a committee, constitution or bank account. There are other groups in Ramblers who operate this way. Any expenses incurred will be funded by Area (our current small expenses are all related to the committee meetings and the AGM so minimal expenses are envisaged). Flexigroups are run by a team of coordination volunteers who plan a programme of activities in agreement with their Area. Three of the current committee members have agreed to be Coordination Team members should the change go ahead. Our understanding is that the current website will continue to be used by the group.
The committee hope members will give their support to this recommendation by approving the proposal at our AGM and welcome any questions you may have. We believe this is a viable way for the group to continue but in the future, we will need new coordination team members. Hopefully as the role is much simpler than the current committee roles, members will be inclined to offer to stand.
What we do in Harrogate Ramblers
We organise a walk each Saturday of various distances. These walks are at a moderate pace. You are welcome to join us for a couple of walks before joining the Ramblers. Joining the Ramblers gives you access to not just the walks organised by the Harrogate Group but all Ramblers groups throughout the UK.
Our walks explore the attractive countryside that surrounds Harrogate, a countryside of meadows and woodland, steep-sided valleys and craggy outcrops. Not far away are the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. There is a good network of public paths enabling us to visit places of beauty that cannot be reached by road.
Good walks need good paths! The Harrogate Group of the Ramblers is also a footpath protection group and looks after local public footpaths on behalf of the whole walking community. All local planning applications which might affect public footpaths and applications for footpath diversions are carefully scrutinised by the Group to make sure that the path is fully protected. Paths blocked by vegetation and crops, dangerous stiles etc are reported to the local highway authority for appropriate action.
We now have copies of the Harrogate Ringway and Knaresborough Round Leaflets that are Free to download. Go to the Shop Tab.
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Harrogate walks are on the "walks tab" and at the top of this page. Please find the Ramblers main website here