Welcome to the South Wales Long Distance Walkers Association website.

The LDWA is a national organisation whose aim is to further the interests of those who enjoy long distance walking. The South Wales group is one of 43 regional groups that organise activities in its geographical area of the United Kingdom; this website provides information about its activities.

The South Wales group is one of the fastest growing LDWA regional groups. New members find us in various ways including Facebook, meeting group members on challenge events or because they have found us via the national LDWA website. We’re a friendly, welcoming and fun group of people to be with.

The South Wales group was formed in 1983 and in the intervening years has organised hundreds of informal social walks for its members. Details of our social walks can be found in our ‘Walks Programme’, and new members are always welcome. In addition, the group organises challenge events that enable visitors to explore our countryside and be catered for at checkpoints, whilst undertaking to finish the route within a set time. Details of our challenge events can be found under ‘Events’.

Our geographical area is large; we walk anywhere in South Wales and sometimes beyond our boundaries. Our favourite locations are the Brecon Beacons National Park, the South Wales valleys, the Wye Valley and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Our social walks are all led by volunteer group members. The walks are undertaken at a reasonable and social pace. We do not leave people behind, but we aim to walk about 3mph. We usually have three breaks during a walk, and our overall pace, including breaks, is around 2.5mph. We have a social walk most weekends and our distances range from 16 to an eye watering 55 miles dependent on the time of the year! The average number of people on our walks is usually about 17.

So, if you fancy coming along, please do. Please give yourself plenty of time to arrive and kit up as we always leave on time. You will be made most welcome, and if you join, you’ll soon find yourself amongst people you will consider to be friends.

If you are concerned about your ability to keep up with the group or complete the distance please read our Getting Started page where you’ll find plenty of advice.

You don’t need to join the LDWA initially to join us on our walks, but after three walks if you would like to continue walking with us (and we hope that you do), you will be expected to become a member. At just over £1 per month, we think membership of the LDWA is extremely good value – there is no additional fee for membership of the South Wales group.

We hope you enjoy the content of our website. We’d love to receive feedback on how useful the site has been for you. If you have any questions or comments, please send an email.

Finally, some of our members use our interactive Facebook Page. If you use Facebook, either use the Facebook button in the menu at the top of this page or search Facebook with ‘LDWA – South Wales Group’ and you’ll soon find us. Click ‘like’ and you’ll be a part of our growing on-line community.