Kington Walks Festival

Welcome to our tenth annual Festival. We are pleased to be back with our full programme of walks and events over the weekend.

Kington is one of the great small market towns of Britain. Situated close to the Welsh Border it was for centuries a centre for cattle drovers and a web of footpaths centred on the town await the keen walker. The Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail, The Herefordshire Trail, Mortimer Trail and the Wyche Way all pass through (or start/finish) in the town.

The year’s Festival will include our usual wide range of walks to suit all abilities and interests and covers history, natural history, geology, landscapes, a few pubs along the way and much more. As part of the Festival we will join Rob Dingle the National Trails Officer for Offa’s Dyke Path as part of the celebrations marking 50 years since the opening of this iconic National Trail. If you would like to sharpen your photography skills join renowned portrait and landscape photographer Charlie Hopkinson on a ramble around the Gladestry countryside, or discover how local artists are inspired by the local landscape on Sunday’s walk over Hergest to meet the makers. The local landscape was also an inspiration for Alfred Watkin’s theory of ley lines and 2021 marks the centenary of his theory being published. On her walk Dr Jodie Lewis will visit a range of sites that were key markers in the development of Watkin’s theory.

We are opening this year’s Festival on Thursday night with a casserole evening generously sponsored by Tarmac, with food provided by the Cider Barn and bar stocked with beer from award winning Swan Brewery. On Friday evening Kevin Walker will entertain us at The Oxford Arms with his latest audio visual presentation, Nature of the Brecon Beacons. Saturday evening will be spent with lively music and dancing to Blind Alley at The Burton Hotel.

We are pleased to be able to reduce the basic price of a walk to £5.00 per person for both half day and full day walks. Some walks do however involve additional costs to cover transport, food or admission charges.

The Festival Office will be available at The Burton Hotel in Mill Street. Please drop in and say hello and find out about last minute availability of walks. Alternatively call us on 07552 087786.

We do hope you will come and join us for the weekend and enjoy all that the little town of Kington has to offer.