Welcome to the website of the Dorset LDWA


The Dorset Group of the LDWA was founded in 1993 and is one of 45 local groups. The LDWA is an Association of people with the common interest of walking long distances in rural, mountainous or moorland areas. By joining the LDWA, you will meet other like-minded long-distance walkers and gain access to information on walking events and long-distance walking routes all over the UK. Go to the tab "About the LDWA" for more details. If you are an LDWA member living in Dorset you are automatically a member of the Dorset Group and members living elsewhere are welcome to join.

With its stunning landscape of rolling hills, river valleys, picturesque villages and beautiful Jurassic coastal scenery Dorset provides some magnificent walking opportunities. We aim to walk in different parts of Dorset and sometimes venture into neighbouring counties and as walk leaders often choose walks based on local knowledge we tend to see the best parts.

Social Walks
We aim to organise a walk on most Sundays, typically the distance will be between 16 and 22 miles and normally starting at 9am. There are also occasional mid-week walks which are generally a shorter distance. For a list of upcoming social walks please see the Future Events page and to find out what happens on social walk see the About Social Walks page in the Group tab.

Challenge Walks
We organise two challenge walks each year. The Dorset Doddle, on the Sunday before the August Bank Holiday, a 32 mile walk along the beautiful and steeply undulating coastal path from Weymouth to Swanage. The other may be a Cerne Giant Challenge, a circular route starting from the village of Cerne Abbas famous for the figure carved into a nearby hill, or the Doddle West which takes in much of the Jurassic coast in the west of Dorset. For a list of upcoming challenge walks please see the Challenge Walks page.

Group Activities
In addition to social walks and challenge walks we have occasional social events and mini breaks to places such as Snowdonia or Brecon Beacons. We send regular email updates about activities to members (unless opted out) and have an Annual General Meeting preceded by a group lunch usually in November. The group is entirely run by volunteers and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved from leading social walks, marshalling / catering on challenge walks to helping with organisation.

Joining Us
New members are always very welcome. If you are interested in joining us, please come along on a social walk or get in touch with any of the committee members. You do not need to be an LDWA member to try out a social walk.

 

This is the website of the Dorset Group of the Long-Distance Walkers Association. Any questions, broken links or comments please e-mail dorset.ldwa@gmail.com