Countryside ranger and outdoor journalist Ben Dolphin has announced he will lead a series of free, scenic and sociable walks between June and September 2019 to mark his final year as Ramblers Scotland’s president.
Ben is inviting members of the public to join him and local Ramblers members for ‘President’s Walks’ at six different Scottish beauty spots this summer and autumn.
These include Fife’s coast and hills, Mar Lodge in the Cairngorms, Edinburgh’s Water of Leith, Glen Sherup in the Ochil Hills and Ben Vorlich near Loch Earn.
Ben works as a seasonal ranger at National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge estate, writes for titles including Walkhighlands and The Press & Journal, and publishes popular blogs and YouTube vlogs.
“Before I took up the role of honorary president all my walking was done solo, by myself,” Ben explains. “Group walking was therefore a new experience for me, and I’ve loved it!”
He adds, “I always return from Ramblers walks feeling happy, and the chat, camaraderie and knowledge of Ramblers members has changed my perception of how we can experience the great outdoors.
The six routes I’ve chosen for this series of walks are each special to me for different reasons. I’m looking forward to sharing them with my fellow walkers, and hopefully I can help more people experience the fun of a Ramblers group walk.”
Ben has been the walking charity’s president since March 2017, and he has so far walked with 36 of Ramblers Scotland’s 54 groups – whose volunteers run more than 3,500 group walks annually.
Ramblers Scotland director Jess Dolan said: “We’re proud to have Ben Dolphin as our president and we’re really grateful for him volunteering to lead these walks.
I hope that many people will grasp this opportunity to join Ben for a free, sociable day out walking in magnificent scenery.”
Attendees must make sure they are fit enough, and have suitable footwear, food and clothing for the walk they want to join.
The scheduled walks are as follows:
- Sun 2 June: Fife Coastal Path– Elie Explorer 7 miles, 125 ft ascent.
- Sat 29 June: Glen Sherup Horseshoe 10 miles, 2,000 ft ascent.
- Sat 27 July: Mar Lodge Estate – Creag Bhalg and Glen Quoich 10 miles, 1,410 ft ascent.
- Sun 25 August: Ben Vorlich near Loch Earn 6 miles, 2,765 feet.
- Sat 28 September: Lomond Hills – West Lomond Rocks! 7 miles, 1,500ft ascent.
- Sun 27 October: Edinburgh Explorer – A river runs through it 3 miles, 520ft ascent.
Spaces are limited to about 20 people per walk. Those interested can visit ramblers.org.uk/scotland to register.
