At national level, The Ramblers, Britain’s walking charity, exists to facilitate, for the benefit of everyone, the enjoyment and discovery that walking outdoors can bring; and to promote respect for the life of the countryside.
It is a membership organisation with around 100,000 members and a network of volunteers who maintain and protect the path network. Members can take part in leader-led Ramblers walks all over the country, not just in their local area.
The organisation was founded in 1935 and campaigns to keep the British countryside open to all.
It encourages walking, protects rights of way, defends the beauty of the countryside; and for many years has campaigned for freedom to roam over uncultivated, open country.
The Ramblers work on the basis that walking can have a positive impact on people's lives, and that rambling in the countryside and in urban places is a right and that it benefits everyone.
It also argues that Britain's network of public paths is an invaluable part of its national heritage and that the relevant authorities have a duty to invest in them.