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RWH Travel is an independent specialist British leisure travel group headquartered in Lemsford. The company was formerly known as Ramblers Worldwide Holidays. The organisation offers over 250 walking and activity holidays in 70 countries.

History
Ramblers Association Services

Ramblers Association Services was founded on 28 March 1948 as part of the Ramblers Association (now the Ramblers) by Noel David George Vincent and Ernest Welsman who were previously activists in the Youth Hostel Association. In 1947 the first summer programme of walks at home and abroad was forms and in 1948 Winter Sports were added to the list of holidays. In 1953 RAS took a lease on the Hassness Guest House at Buttermere from the National Park Board.

Wings

In 1955 Wings was registered as a company with the Ramblers Association as the only shareholder. Wings then offered chartered Air Holidays. With the success of Wings, this allowed the company in 1972 to buy and move into Wings House, a new office block in Welwyn Garden City. In 1974, the walking holiday operation, which had been a subsidiary of Wings, renamed Ramblers Holidays Limited. Wings was sold off by Ramblers Association Services for £990,000.

Ramblers Holidays

Within 20 years, following the rapid development of package holidays by air, the RAS walking holiday operation had effectively become a subsidiary of Wings and in 1974 changed its name to the more familiar Ramblers Holidays Ltd.

The company had outgrown its London premises and had bought and moved into a new office block ‘Wings House’ in two acres of grounds in Welwyn Garden City in 1972.

Noel Vincent left Ramblers Holidays in 1973 following a brief period at the helm and went on to set up his own company, Waymark, which operate walking and cross-country ski holidays from 1974 to 2007.

CHALLENGING YEARS

Wings was sold off in 1976 and the company moved into smaller premises in Fretherne Road in the city centre. This was a real turning point; with much of the organisation’s efforts having been directed towards the Wings product, times were tough following the separation for a while; new competitors were appearing on the scene including ‘adventure’ holiday operators, the winter of discontent came and went, bookings fell and continued to fall until 1985.

In 1985 a former British Airways executive Stuart Alderman was brought in as a consultant to examine and see if the company could survive and be turned around. He introduced changes to the way tours were planned and operated, brought in Clive Boucher as financial controller to bring some financial rigour and management accounting to the organisation, and introduced the first computerised reservations and accounting systems. The effect was immediate and the following year Stuart Alderman was appointed Chief Executive. He maintained absolute control over all aspects of the company’s operations until his retirement in 2001 when Kathy Cook and Tony Lock took over as joint general managers (of operations and finance respectively before becoming joint managing directors). They remain in charge of the company today.

In 2005 the company moved from its leased accommodation in Welwyn Garden City town centre to its current location at Lemsford Mill and in 2007 rebranded as Ramblers Worldwide Holidays. There can’t be many tour operators who’ve brought a team over from Germany to install a water wheel to power its computers, have gardeners on the payroll, and include wildlife feed for their resident swans in their overheads.

Current Brands
Ramblers Walking Holidays

Ramblers Walking Holidays features a large selection of group tours where walking is the prime activity. Tours run in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world and are classified dependent on the ability of the participants.

Chapters Experience Holidays

Chapters Experience Holidays features group activity holidays where walking is not the prime activity. Activities such as cycling, nordic walking and cookery are examples.

Cruise and Walk Holidays

As the name suggests, these walking tours are based on cruises on ships belonging to Fred Olsen. These are grade group walks on days when the ships are in port.

Adagio

Adagio tours are same group holidays at a more relaxed pace

Load Off Your Back (LOYB)

These are independent self-guided holidays where accommodation, guide books and baggage transport between overnight stops. Currently these are offered in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Greece.

Charitable Activities
Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust

Unlike many tour operators, RWH Travel has its own Trust through which RWH Travels’ profits are channeled back into a variety of UK based outdoor, walking-related or environmental conservation projects in the UK. The trust focuses on encouraging both young and old to experience the beauty and rewards that our countryside can bring. Projects have included supporting the Ramblers (formerly the Ramblers Association) and smaller UK charities that provoke experiences including the disadvantaged, disabled and inner city children.

Heart & Sole

Heart & Sole, managed by RWH Travel office staff, whose aim is to reach the heart of the communities in the countries they visit.