Put your best foot forward for the 2023 YHA Festival of Walking

Get walking – that’s the message from leading outdoor access charity YHA (England & Wales).

To encourage more people to discover the health and wellbeing benefits of walking, YHA has partnered with Ordnance Survey, The Ramblers, The BMC and Cotswold Outdoor to, once again, run its popular sixweek Festival of Walking.

The 2023 YHA Festival of Walking is taking place across England and Wales from 03 September to 19 October, and there’s a tried and tested walking route near you. It costs nothing to get involved; YHA just wants to get people walking. Walking not only helps improve physical fitness but also provides an opportunity to connect with nature and meet new people, as well as reduce stress, and explore local communities. It’s a low-impact exercise that can be enjoyed individually, with friends and family, or as part of organised walking groups.

James Blake, Chief Executive of YHA (England & Wales) explained: “YHA has more than 90 years of experience working with people of all ages in the outdoors, and we have seen first-hand, the myriad of health benefits associated with walking. The Festival of Walking embodies our charitable mission to increase access for all to the outdoors.”

To inspire new and seasoned walkers, YHA has produced more than 180 free-to- download circular walking routes – ranging from easy to severe and across a range of terrains, including towns and cities. The routes – which are all tested by experienced walkers, range in length from easy one milers to challenging 20 mile routes. Routes include The Beatles Tour, a 3.6-mile city route which takes in some of the Beatles’ landmarks in Liverpool, including statues, the Cavern Club and the house where John Lennon lived with the sixth member of the Beatles Stuart Sutcliffe. Or the 4.7mile Haroldston and Druidston route in Broad Haven, which covers woodland, country, and coastal terrain during the walk. There are also a number of accessible routes suitable for wheelchair users, including the stile-free beautiful 4.5-mile Gordale Scar and Malham Cove route in the Yorkshire Dales which is suitable for powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters and offers accessible parking and toilet facilities at either end of the walk.

All the routes start from and finish at a youth hostel.

The festival also features a programme of free-to-join social walks taking place across England and Wales. The social walks, led by qualified walk leaders, offer a supported and safe space for people to get involved with walking, meet other walkers, and build their confidence in the outdoors. There’s also a 20% discount on youth hostel accommodation during the festival to encourage as many people as possible to get out and about.

More than 1500 people took part in the festival pilot in 2022 and, this year, YHA wants to get even more people walking. James added: “Our pilot festival last year proved, as we suspected, that there are many people keen to get walking but lack the confidence. By providing tried and tested circular walking routes, social walks led by experts, and grants to community walking groups, we were able to give people that confidence. I am delighted that our partners have made it possible for us to run the Festival of Walking once again and for it to become a permanent fixture in YHA’s events calendar.”

Rebecca Birrane, Head of Walking Experience at The Ramblers, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting YHA’s Festival of Walking again this year. A good walk doesn’t just make us healthier and happier: it’s also a wonderful way to meet new people. And through this programme of social walks, we can help people do just that – in a supportive, friendly and fun environment.”

Mariella Sullivan, Project Lead for the Festival of Walking at the BMC, said: “The BMC is proud to once again partner with YHA as the Festival of Walking returns after a hugely successful inaugural event in 2022. At a time when thousands more people are embracing hill and mountain walking, we welcome the opportunity to support and guide people across the country as they discover the health and wellbeing benefits of walking, while encouraging them to care for the hills and trails we love and clean up along the way.”

Jose Finch, Managing Director of Cotswold Outdoor, said “We’re thrilled to support the Festival of Walking again alongside the YHA. Cotswold Outdoor has been helping walkers find the right kit to get outside and enjoy our great outdoors for almost 50 years. We truly believe people are happier outside and we’re proud to support YHA and this fantastic Festival of Walking to encourage more people to get walking again this year.”

Nick Giles, Managing Director of OS Leisure, said: “Helping to get more people outside more often is at the heart of everything we do at OS, and we’re proud to be the official mapping partner again for this year’s YHA Festival of Walking. We’re on a mission to make the outdoors enjoyable, accessible and safe by showing people where to go and how to get there. In doing so, we help keep the nation active, happy and healthy.”

To find out more, join a guided social walk, download a map or book a stay at a youth hostel during the YHA Festival of Walking visit www.yha.org.uk/festival-of-walking