On this page you can find information about forthcoming events and news from our Chairman. The gallery of photos from our walks has moved - it now has its own page.
Events
Committee meeting dates 2026
- Monday Juy 13th
- Monday October 5th
Please note that committee meeting dates are provisional and may be subject to change. We are always on the lookout for new committee members. Any Group member who might be interested in joining the committee and would like to see how we operate is welcome to come along and participate in a few meetings. Other members may also attend as observers. For further information about forthcoming meetings or minutes of previous meetings, please contact the group secretary.
- AGM 2026 - Saturday October 24th. Draft minutes from the 2025 AGM are available here.
Social events
As well as holding our regular walks, we like to organise occasional social events. We try to make these appealing to all our members, including those whom we see less often as they don’t come out on group walks. Our latest social event was a most enjoyable group lunch, held in March at the Ty'n y Cornel Hotel.
Our short walking break at the Elan Valley Lodge, which took place over three days at the end of April, was a great success, helped by the good weather, the comfortable accommodation and the friendliness of the staff. We're hoping to organise something similar for next year.
Our 2026 Summer Event, an afternoon of "Skittles, Strawberries and Sangia", was held on Monday June 22nd in Llanegryn village hall. This proved to be a very enjoyable occasion. Many thanks to Gill Caves for organising the event.
If you have any ideas for future events, pease do let us know.
Training
Ramblers and Ramblers Cymru Training
At present, most of the training provided by Ramblers is on line. For information on training opportunities currently available, visit the Ramblers GB Eventbrite and Ramblers Cymru Eventbrite web pages. In addition, registered volunteers, which includes all walk leaders, path maintenance volunteers and committee members can find useful guidance notes and videos on all aspects of volunteering within Ramblers by visiting the Document Library in the Volunteering page of the Ramblers website. Topics include Walk Leading, First Aid, Navigation and many others.
Navigation Training
In the past, Ramblers Cymru offered Navigation courses at levels 1, 2 and 3. With no such courses currently on offer the group has just run a level 2/3 navigation course for walk leaders and prospective leaders. The course, with trainer "Mountaineering Joe", was enjoyed by the seven participants who all agreed that they has learnt a lot! We don't have plans for any further group courses at present but may consider organising one at a later date. Meanwhile, walk leaders and other registered volunteers can find some online navigation resources in the Document Library on the Volunteering page of the Ramblers website.
First Aid Training
In June 2026, we ran a one day first aid course for walk leaders. Our trainer Jonathan, from 1FIRSTAID1, gave us practical, down-to-earth advice about how to deal with accidents or illness while out walking. We had some hands on practice and came away with a useful handbook and a lot more confidence about what to do in case of an emergency. As first aid qualifications run for three years, we plan to repeat the training in 2029. Walk leaders who would like first aid training in the meantime might be able to find places on courses run by other groups in North Wales; contact the Group Chairman to find out more. There is also some useful First Aid advice on the Ramblers website; go to the Volunteering page and follow links to the Document Library.
Walk Leadership Training
Ramblers have recently introduced a Walk Leader Handbook and some interactive online training videos. New and prospective walk leaders will need to read the handbook and undertake the training before leading their first walk. Existing leaders are now also being asked either to demonstrate plenty of experience in leading for Ramblers or to undertake the training, which is well worth doing both as a refresher and for the most up to date guidance. The training is accessed via the Volunteering page of the Ramblers website (see below). A workshop was held in November specifically for our group's walk leaders and potential new walk leaders, to discuss the new Handbook and training videos.
Ramblers Volunteering webpage
Ramblers have phased out the Assemble volunteer system and moved all information for volunteers to a Volunteering area on the main Ramblers website. (Volunteers refers to all those who have roles such as walk leader, committee member or path maintenance worker.) The Volunteering page can be accessed from the Ramblers homepage by both volunteers and others - choose the “Support us” link at the top of the page and then click on “Volunteering”. You will find a wealth of information here both for current volunteers and for those who might be considering volunteering or simply want to know what is involved. If you are a volunteer already, you can also access online training relevant to your own role(s) simply by logging in.
News
Members' News Update from the Meirionnydd Group Chairman – July 2026
The Meirionnydd Group is very fortunate to have a good number of walk leaders and, as a result, a busy and varied programme of walks. Although our walk leaders are all volunteers, with no professional walk-leading qualifications, Ramblers provide us with guidance to help ensure that walks are well run, safe, and enjoyable for all participants. You may remember from one of my previous newsletters that we held a “Walk leader training session” at the end of 2025 to make sure all our leaders were up to date with this guidance.
Walking is fundamentally a very safe “sport”, and accidents and other incidents are extremely rare. But one of the things that all walk leaders are concerned about is how they would cope in the unlikely event that something went wrong. What if one of our walkers has an accident or is taken ill, or if we come across someone else out in the hills who needs our help? Last year’s leader training session provided us with plenty of advice on this front, but there’s nothing to beat a more practical approach. That’s why twelve of us signed up for a day’s First Aid training, which took place at the end of June. We hired the Llanelltyd Village Hall for the day and first aid trainer, Jonathan from 1FirstAid1, came along and took us through the basics. For some, this was a refresher, three years after our previous course; for others it was new, or a reminder of things learned and forgotten many years ago!
We had a busy day, with plenty of hands-on practice. We put each other into the “safe airway position” (it used to be called the recovery position) and performed CPR on a dummy, with a gadget programmed to tell us if we were doing it right. I have to say it’s really hard work! We learned about the signs and symptoms of different conditions – strokes, diabetic incidents, heart attacks, allergic reactions, shock, asthma attacks etc – and how to deal with them. And then we did some role play, with some of us acting out the symptoms and the rest trying to diagnose the condition.
Overall we learned a lot and had a lot of fun too. I’m sure we all came away feeling much more confident about stepping up ourselves, and also ready to support each other, in the unlikely event of an "incident” occurring.
Best wishes,
Jacky Cross, Chairman Meirionnydd Ramblers
Ramblers (and other) items of interest
Opening the Way - The Ramblers’ Strategic Ambition 2024 and beyond. A document pulling together into four clear targets the Ramblers’ ambitions for the future, where everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of walking in nature.
Ramblers Cymru Impact Video. A 15 minute video showcasing some of Ramblers Cymru’s recent achievements. The link to the video is not yet a available but will be posted when it is released.
Open letter to Welsh Government from Ramblers Cymru Ambassador, Leanne Wood, concerning access to the outdoors and places to walk.
Don’t lose your way – information about the Ramblers campaign to save ancient Rights of Way left off the original “definitive maps” and how you can get involved.
Cynllun Eryri – a new Partnership Plan for the Snowdonia National Park, drawn up by the Snowdonia National Park Authority in conjunction with other organisations involved in some way in looking after Snowdonia for future generations.
Walking the Cambrian Way – find out about this challenging, long distance mountain route from Cardiff to Conwy, which includes Meirionnydd’s most demanding mountains. Visit the Cambrian Way website for more information and to enjoy the route in photographs!
Members' Newsletters and Volunteer Update
Ramblers regularly sends out email newsletters to members with links to interesting articles on the main Ramblers website and Ramblers Cymru now email a quarterly newsletter packed full of information of particular relevance to us here in Wales. To receive your own copies you need to sign into your Ramblers online account (or phone Ramblers head office) and opt in to receiving information by email. There is also a monthly email newsletter to volunteers with lots of information about Ramblers activities, priorities and campaigns and as a registered volunteer you should receive these regularly
Gallery
Our gallery has moved to its own page.