A Glossop walking group for over-50s is celebrating its 30th anniversary and inviting more local residents to lace up their boots and join them on weekly walks that are as much about companionship and mental wellbeing as they are about exercise.
The Glossop Happy Ramblers, meet every Tuesday ‘rain or shine’ unless conditions are unsafe, Members Peter, Bryan and April spoke about three decades of exploring countryside across four counties and building lasting friendships along the way.
Founded 30 years ago, the group now has around 65 members and has become a regular fixture in the town’s social and outdoor life, marking 2026 as a special anniversary year with plans to “make it a big occasion”. The club is aimed primarily at people over 50 and offers structured walks that cater to different abilities, from easier routes to more challenging hillside treks.
Each Tuesday outing is carefully planned. A designated walk leader “reccies” the route in advance, checks terrain and standards, and then leads the group on the day, supported by a back marker to ensure no one is left behind. “A big thing for the group is we go at the pace of the slowest,” Peter explained, adding that extra time is always allowed for breathers after hills so that walks remain inclusive and enjoyable for everyone.
April, who has been with the group for four years, admitted she initially worried she might not fit in but quickly found the opposite to be true. “At first I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy it, because I thought a lot of people would be a lot older than me,” she said, but she now “thoroughly” enjoys the weekly walks, has made “a lot of really nice friends” and says it has been invaluable for both exercise and mental health.
Long-standing member Bryan joined after retiring, when he found that simply going to the gym was not enough to fill his time and he and his wife were persuaded to try a walking group. They first joined an Ashton-based club before moving to the Glossop group to be closer to home and Bryan has watched the walks evolve over the years, from over 30 people on a typical outing to around 20 today, supported by a website that clearly labels routes from easier “C” walks through to the toughest “A” grade hikes.
While Glossop and the surrounding Peak District provide a stunning backdrop for many walks, the group regularly ventures further afield, travelling by car across four counties to explore riversides, forests and “big hills” in a variety of landscapes. Some walks last around three hours, while the longest can stretch to nearly five hours, with total time out of the house extended by journey times to and from the start point.
Alongside their weekly programme, the Happy Ramblers also organise special “away days” once or twice a year, arranging a coach from the Glossop area for a full day out at scenic destinations. The most recent trip took members to the Ripley Castle estate near Harrogate, with a countryside walk in the morning followed by a relaxed afternoon strolling around the town, enjoying food and drink, before returning by coach in the evening, these events typically attract around 40 people and are designed to combine sightseeing with rural walking.
Social events are a key part of the calendar, too. April has helped organise the group’s Christmas get-togethers in recent years, including a three-course festive meal for members at Windy Harbour, followed by an evening of chatting and mingling. In spring, the club holds another social evening featuring quizzes and raffles, giving members another chance to meet up off the hills and strengthen friendships formed on the paths and tracks.
The group’s organisers are keenly aware that many people who join may be living alone or feeling isolated and they see the club as a gentle way to reconnect with others. Peter said that new walkers are quickly welcomed into the fold, with regulars making a point of chatting to them so that “even if you’re on your own, you’ll probably spend a lot of the walk just chatting to other people,” which, he believes, greatly adds to the enjoyment and social benefit.
Membership is deliberately kept affordable, with an annual fee of £10 that covers the walks themselves and new participants encouraged to try two or three outings before deciding whether to join formally. The main additional expense is travel to the starting point, but many members share cars and split costs and those without transport can usually find a lift by putting out a message to the group, with someone almost always offering to pick them up.
For those curious about getting involved, the Happy Ramblers maintain both a website and a Facebook page under the name “Glossop Happy Ramblers”, where prospective members can find contact details, information about upcoming walks and images from recent outings. Peter’s message to anyone thinking about it is simple “Just make the effort, try it… if you want to get fitness and feel better… just come out and have a walk and get a bit fitter and meet people,” a sentiment echoed by April, who says walking with the group is a “winner all round” for fitness, fresh air and friendship.
You can find out more about Glossop Happy Ramblers via their website https://glossophappyramblers.chessck.co.uk
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