With the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to the north, the North Wessex Downs AONB to the east, the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs AONB to the south west, and Salisbury Plain at its heart, the archaeologically-rich, rolling landscape of the place most of us call home provides some magnificent walking opportunities for the members of the Wiltshire group of the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA).

The Wiltshire group was formed in 1993 and has been an active group ever since. With a membership from a wide variety of backgrounds, we are a happy bunch that doesn’t take ourselves too seriously.

We organise social walks throughout the year, the details of which can be found in our Future Events section. These vary in distance depending on the time of year, with distances ranging from 15 to an eye-watering 50 miles. Our walks take place within Wiltshire and the surrounding counties. Occasionally we join up with other LDWA groups and travel further afield.

Each month we aim to walk on the first and third Sundays, and on the middle Thursday. The latter will hopefully include stopping at a pub for lunch.

We have been away for mini breaks in the UK, to destinations such as Cornwall, Exmoor, the Gower Peninsula and Snowdonia.

In order to bring our social walks to the attention of members more quickly - as well as attract new members - they will be publicised via the Meetup app. Anyone wishing to be alerted in this way should sign up via the following link: https://www.meetup.com/long-distance-walkers-association-wiltshire-group/. Meetup is free to signup, however the LDWA is a membership organisation. Walkers may attend up to three walks before they are expected to join.

Finally, there's our popular annual challenge event, the Pewsey Downsaround. With a choice of distances, i.e. 10, 17, 26 or 35 miles, and food and drink available at all the checkpoints and at the finish, it's a great way to explore the Vale of Pewsey and the Marlborough Downs. Certificates are issued to finishers. The Pewsey Downsaround will take place on the 26th April 2026. You can find more information by clicking HERE, or you can enter the event directly via SiEntries.

If you are interested in joining us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any of the committee members. We’ll answer all your questions, and hopefully make your first walk with us both an enjoyable and satisfying experience.

You don’t need to join the LDWA to try out our walks, but after a few walks we will expect you to become a member of the organisation.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Clive, Sue, Dave, Lucy and Janette

Wiltshire LDWA Committee