Whether you call it walking, hiking or rambling, the Gay Sunday Walking group goes out and enjoys it - in London, Middlesex, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Berks, Bucks, Beds and Herts on one all-day and one half-day walk each month.
The all day-walks are 7 to 12 miles long, usually starting and finishing at a railway station within an hour's travel from a London terminus. There is a lunchtime stop at a pub serving food or you can bring a picnic. The half-day walks are 3 to 6 miles and mostly start at a pub. Some years there are also weeks and weekends away.
GSWG membership costs £9 a year and you will receive a walks notice and newsletter every three months via email (£11 via post), and tea after the AGM and December walks. It is open to gay men, lesbians, and straights with a positive attitude. There are around 160 members, most of them gay men. Between 15 and 30 people generally join a walk.
Upcoming events
- Sunday, May 18th: A nine-mile ramble through the Chess Valley, starting and finishing at Chalfont & Latimer station. Lunch will be in Sarratt, used for filming Murder Most Foul and Four Weddings and a Funeral.
- Sunday, June 1st: A half-day circular walk starting and finishing at Nutfield station in East Surrey. This five-mile ramble will show you some of the beautiful views and countryside of the North Downs.
- Wednesday, June 11th: With daylight until quite late, here is a circular evening walk of four miles in suburban Hertfordshire. Take the train to Rickmansworth for a pleasant stroll and an optional convivial drink in the local Wetherspoon’s afterwards.
- Sunday, June 15th: A full-day visit to the Chilterns on this circular ten-mile ramble from Berkhamsted station. Whether it’s your first or umpteenth visit to these famous Hills, you’ll love the wide range of views – and the company of your fellow walkers!
- Saturday, June 21st: The second stage of our trek along the High Weald Landscape Trail – ten miles of glorious countryside in West Sussex today from Bolney to Ardingly.
- Sunday, July 6th: A half-day walk in East London featuring Wanstead Park, Wanstead Flats (not a series of high-rise blocks but a vast green area) and the southern fringe of Epping Forest. Five miles.
- Saturday, July 19th: You’ll see the Thames Estuary on today’s 9½ mile circular walk from Benfleet station including a short visit to Two Tree Island. Open spaces, birdsong, extensive views and silence are on the agenda, but beware of the sea air so be prepared with a hat and sunblock even if it is a dull day.
- Sunday, July 26th: Another chance today to experience the High Weald Landscape Trail, on the third stage from Ardingly to East Grinstead. Ten miles
- Sunday, August 3rd: Newlands Corner near Guildford is the venue for today’s seven-mile walk. Meadows and woodland but also some steep hills. It will be followed by our AGM for members only.
- Sunday, August 17th: Part of the South Downs Way is featured on this 9½ linear walk from Hassocks in West Sussex to Lewes in East Sussex. Undulating of course but made very worthwhile by the views both inland and out to sea.
- Sunday, August 30th: Stage four of the High Weald Landscape Trail is on today’s menu. Ten miles from East Grinstead to Eridge. Again, undulating as you would expect and through mixed woodland/agricultural terrain.
Contact us
To join the group or find out more, contact us on gswg @ hotmail.com or write to us at GSWG, PO Box 69025, London SW17 8PY