Real Activism: Sheffield Clarion Ramblers

 

 

the sheffield clarion ramblers were a working-class rambling club founded in sheffield in 1900 by g.h.b. ward and inspired by the clarion socialist newspaper. they organised regular walks in the peak district and were active in campaigning for public access to moorland paths and rights of way. the group became one of the most influential rambling clubs in britain in the early 20th century.

members carried and used the club’s annual clarion ramblers handbooks, tiny pocket-sized journals produced between about 1901 and the 1960s. these handbooks listed itineraries of rambles and also included local history, geology, folklore and reflections on walking culture, making them both practical guides and cultural companions on their walks. by tnt