Get your boots on for the Garstang Walking Festival

Taking place from Saturday April 30 to Sunday May 8, visitors can experience the best of spring countryside around Garstang, Rural Wyre, the Forest of Bowland and the Fylde Plain.

Walks for all abilities are available throughout the festival, with trampers (all-terrain electric vehicles) also available to assist users with differing abilities to access the countryside on some walks.

Enjoy moorland views, sun-dappled woodlands, riverside wildlife, local history and canal and farmland scenery.

This year the festival has expanded to include some events in surrounding local villages and neighbouring towns. On some walks, special permissions to gain access to rural Wyre and Garstang will allow you to meet local land managers, farmers and exerts in wildlife and heritage.

Highlights at the festival include exploring ‘Garstang to the fells and back’ - from Garstang we rise through pastures and villages to high moorland, taking in some fantastic views before returning along different paths to Garstang.

If you’re a fan of history, join the team on the ‘Of Roman Legions and Pendle Witche’s walk – you’ll walk the skirts to the east of the Bowland Fells before picking up the Roman road up to the head of Whitendale, then follow the River Dunsop back to Dunsop Bridge.

Don’t worry if you need assistance to take part in the festival. There are also events taking place for Tramper users – an all-terrain mobility scooter. Join the team on the ‘Lapwings and Hares Tramper Trek’ – look for lapwings (and hopefully their chicks) and maybe a hare or two. Walkers are also welcomed to join this event.

There’s something for everyone at this year’s Garstang Walking Festival.

Coun Lynne Bowen, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Health and Community Engagement at Wyre Council comments, “Whether you are visiting the area or if you have lived here all your life, each walk gives you the opportunity to see parts of Wyre you might not have visited before.

“I guarantee you will learn something new about the area, surrounding towns, the wildlife or the heritage whilst you enjoy getting out in the fresh air.”