Taking place from 4th September – 20th October 2022, YHA’s Festival of Walking aims to introduce new voices, feet and faces to UK landscapes.
The festival hopes to bring seasoned and novice walkers – individuals, friends, families and walking groups and communities – together at hostels across England and Wales.
The new walking festival capitalises on the lockdown discovery of the joy of walking for many people. YHA’s Festival of Walking now offers an opportunity for walkers – new and experienced – to make the most of the facilities provided at YHA’s locations in the National Parks and on National Trails.
YHA is offering 25% off accommodation at a number of hostels, as well as a warm welcome and a free cuppa for everyone who gets involved with the festival.
In addition, everyone who takes part in the festival and logs their miles on the festival website will be entered into a free prize draw. YHA has partnered with Ordnance Survey, The Ramblers and the BMC to deliver the festival, as well as outdoor clothing and footwear retailer Cotswold Outdoor.
“24,901 miles seems a long way but that’s just 5,000 people walking five miles each; which we think is more than achievable. Ideally, we’d love it if enough people got outside and got walking during the festival that their logged miles could collectively circumnavigate the globe multiple times. That’s the goal,” said James Blake, Chief Executive of social enterprise charity YHA (England & Wales).
To help with the challenge, YHA is mapping a number of circular walking routes, using OS Mapping Software, that all start and finish at a youth hostel.
The mapped routes will offer an easy, moderate and challenging circular walk from each youth hostel and are suitable for novice to seasoned walkers. The free walking routes are in the process of being developed and tested by YHA’s army of walking volunteers and will be available to download soon.
For people who are interested in walking but have yet to take their first steps, YHA’s programme of free-to-join guided social walks, which are being held during the festival, offers a supported and safe space to get involved with walking as well as an opportunity to meet with other walkers and build confidence walking in rural locations.
More social walks and circular routes will be added to the website ahead of the festival, including a wheelchair accessible walk which is being delivered in partnership with Access the Dales.
More than 80 of YHA’s hostels are on National Trails in England and Wales and provide a convenient, safe and welcoming base for people to get active.
With many hostels located on walking trails the festival is an opportunity to introduce everything we can offer to people who haven’t experienced YHA before, as well as help get more people walking, especially those who may lack the confidence to do it alone.
James added: “YHA has long been the walker’s friend since 1930 when our first youth hostel opened offering low cost accommodation and a warm welcome. We still offer this today and more. “We want more walkers to discover our hostels and everything they have to offer, whether that’s a bed for the night, a day visit to enjoy a cuppa, filling up a bottle at a Refill station, using our drying rooms or just grabbing a loo break. Our facilities are here, and we want people to use them.”
Find out more about YHA’s Festival of Walking, download walking routes, book discounted accommodation and get involved.
