This week we have conversations about an upcoming walking festival in Otley, in Yorkshire, and about a new book called One Woman Walks Europe, the follow up to Ursula Martin’s first book, One Woman Walks Wales.

Interview times:

06:37 Otley Walking Festival

25:35 Ursula Martin

Otley Walking Festival

From Saturday 28 June to Sunday 6 July, the popular Otley Walking Festival is back.

With more than 40 walks and events over the nine days of the event, organisers say there is something for everyone – short town-based walks, meadows and field paths, strenuous moorland hikes, evening events, and the return of popular old favourite walks like the allotment walk (really, listen to the interview to find out more) and some new themed walks.

The Otley Walking Festival showcases the historic market town and the Wharfedale countryside that surrounds it.

Some walks require booking, and some are already fully booked.

Our conversation about the festival is with Ruth Blackwell, chair of the Otley Walking Festival Committee.

Ursula Martin – One Woman Walks Europe

Ursula Martin’s first book, One Woman Walks Wales, drew critical acclaim following its publication in 2018. It chronicles her story of walking 3,700 miles around Wales after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

So, what do you do as a follow up to that?

In Ursula’s case, you walk from Ukraine right across Europe, to add another 5,500 miles to the total. And you write a second book about that adventure – One Woman Walks Europe, which was published in March, 2025.

She is now embarking on a book tour – but not an ordinary one. To take her walking total to more than 10,000 miles, Ursula is visiting bookstores across the UK as she does the Land’s End to John O’Groats walk.

One Woman Walks Europe is published by Honno Welsh Women’s Press, and can be found at many good bookstores, and online.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at [email protected]

This week we have seem to have a connection with the letter 'W' - with conversations about walking festivals in Wrexham and the Wirral. Oh, and a bit of a rant about path etiquette.

Interview times:

03:43 Wrexham Walking Festival

16:10 Wirral Walking Festival

Wrexham Walking Festival

The Wrexham Walking Festival is a nine-day event that takes place annually in June – this year, from 7 to 15 June.

Unlike many other festivals, all walks are free, and no pre-booking is required. There are two or three walks each day, which vary in difficulty. Walks vary from 2 to 13.2 miles, and many also include some ascent, although this varies from 50m to almost 1,000m.

There are also evening walks. All walks are led by trained volunteers.

Bill Stephens, chairman of the Wrexham Walking Festival, joined us on the podcast to talk about the event.

Wirral Walking Festival

Not far from Wrexham is the Wirral peninsula, which overlooks Wales on one side, and Liverpool on the other.

This year’s walking festival takes place throughout the month of May. There are walks about local history and heritage, ranger led walks, as well as Nordic and wellbeing walks. There’s even a walk to an island. There is an evening walk, nature walks, and more.

The walks, which are varied in length, have a variety of providers, meaning some are free while there are costs associated with others. Similarly, some walks require booking while others do not. More details can be found on the festival website, which includes a copy of the very detailed brochure the council publishes each year.

On the podcast this week we have a conversation with Fiona Hanik, health development officer, Neighbourhood Services, at Wirral Council.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at [email protected]

This week we have conversations about a a recently-published book about walking the Camino in Spain, and about an old railway line, the Strawberry Line, being turned into a walking route in Somerset.

Interview times:

04:53 The Strawberry Line

22:55 Molly Lord – Holy Dirt

Holy Dirt - A Camino Journey: Out of my mind. Into My Body. Saved By Song. by Molly Lord

Molly Lord is an educator with a career spent in varied fields of human behaviour studies, and runs her own company, Tuned-In Productions, which hosts workshops, keynotes, and virtual training to highlight the scientific and spiritual link between behaviour patterns that run our day-to-day lives and music.

Molly heeded the call to walk the Camino de Santago, and was subsequently encouraged to recount her experiences. The result is Holy Dirt, A Camino Journey: Out of my mind. Into My Body. Saved By Song.

The book that doesn’t conform to the usual Camino memoir. With QR codes to listen to the music that was important on the journey, and special sections in each chapter, the book is already drawing rave reviews. It is published by Brave Healer Productions, and is available now.

The Strawberry Line

The Strawberry Line was the nickname of the Cheddar Valley Line, a Great Western Railway branch line that ran from Witham Junction to Yatton via Shepton Mallet, Wells and Cheddar.

It was operational until the late 1960s and is now being transformed into a greenway through North and Mid-Somerset. The path will be suitable for walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users, mobility scooters, and on some sections, equestrians.

Once completed, the Strawberry Line path will run from Shepton Mallet to Clevedon, incorporating the Cheddar Valley Line trackbed wherever possible, as well as much of the disused Clevedon branch line.

More than half of the route is already open. Volunteers of the Strawberry Line Society continue to work with landowners and local councils to maintain existing sections and work on new ones.

The Strawberry Line will also form part of the Somerset Circle, a 76-mile, mostly traffic-free circuit linking Bristol, Bath, the Mendip Hills, the Somerset Levels and the coast. More than two thirds of the route has already been completed, and includes the Colliers Way, the Two Tunnels Greenway, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, and the River Avon Trail.

On the podcast this week we have a conversation with chair of The Strawberry Line Society, Mick Fletcher.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at [email protected]

This week we have conversations about a a recently-published book about walking in the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Guernsey Walking Festival.

Interview times:

04:42 Guernsey Spring Walking Festival

20:15 Nick Thorpe - Walking Europe's Last Wilderness

Nick Thorpe

Award-winning journalist and film-maker Nick Thorpe’s day job is as the central Europe correspondent for BBC Radio and TV. Because of this, he has lived in the region for around 40 years, and currently calls Budapest home.

He has written several books, including The Danube: A Journey Upriver from the Black Sea to the Black Forest. His latest book also includes the Danube, but this time in the context of its connection to the Carpathian Mountains, which cover Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine, and are seen as being Europe’s last true wilderness.

Thorpe’s latest book, Walking Europe's Last Wilderness: A Journey through the Carpathian Mountains, came out earlier this year, published by Yale University Press. The hardback has a RRP of £20.

The Guernsey Spring Walking Festival

The Channel Islands has always seemed like a perfect spot for a holiday. Generally with better weather than the UK, it’s a mix of cultures, not surprising, as it sits close to the French coast.

While Jersey is the biggest of the main islands, Guernsey isn’t that far behind, and it’s not only a great place for a holiday, it’s also perfect for walking. The island has two walking festivals, one in the spring, and one in the autumn, and it’s the first of those we are concerned with on this week’s podcast, with a conversation with festival coordinator Soo Wellfair.

The event runs from 24th May to 8th June, and features a host of varied walks with professional guides from the Bailiwick of Guernsey Guild of Accredited Guides.

Walks aren’t limited to Guernsey, though, as the nearby smaller islands of Herm and Sark are also included.

Each of the varied walks starts close to a bus stop and parking area, and all are rated from an easy amble to a more testing hike.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at [email protected]

This week we have conversations about a new and challenging trail in Hong Kong that involves swimming in the ocean, and on the Haltwhistle Walking Festival in Northumberland.

Times:

03:37 Haltwhistle Walking Festival

18:55 The Argyll Ross Trail

Argyle Ross Trail

The Argyle Ross Trail is a challenging 12-section, 100km swim hike across the length of Hong Kong. The hike includes sea swimming between islands, hiking in streams, jumping in waterfalls and traversing rugged coastlines, ridges, reservoirs and beaches. Best hiked in Hong Kong’s hot summer months, every section is wet, with swimming included in each section.

Described as a "devilish new masterpiece," the Argyle Ross Trail starts in the northeast islands of Double Haven Geopark and runs to the far west enclave of Ha Pak Lai, overlooking Shenzhen. The trail encompasses some of the most spectacular lesser-travelled parts of the New Territories.

It was created by Jack Argyle and Stewart Ross, who are our guests on this week’s podcast.

The Haltwhistle Walking Festival

If you’re looking for a walking ‘epicentre’ you could do worse than pick out Haltwhistle as a destination.

It sits just off the A69, which connects Newcastle and Carlisle, and it’s next to both the Northumberland National Park and the North Pennines National Landscape. And, if that wasn’t enough, it’s also close to both the Pennine Way and Hadrian’s Wall.

So, it makes total sense that Haltwhistle would have a walking festival. The Haltwhistle Walking Festival takes place from April 26 to May 5, and features 26 walks over the 10 days of the event.

The walks range from five to 22 miles, and from easy to strenuous. There are also linear and circular walks to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Pennine Way.

To tell us more about the festival and what’s in store for the 2025 version, we had a conversation with Catriona Mulligan, one of the festival organisers.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at [email protected]

This week we have conversations about the development of a cross-state trail in Texas, the xTx, and on the Talgarth Walking Festival in Wales.

Interview times

03:35: Talgarth Walking Festival

12:30: X-Texas Trail

Talgarth Walking Festival

Talgarth is in Mid-Wales, in the county of Powys, between Hay-on-Wye and Brecon.

It hosts the annual Talgarth Walking Festival, which this year is the 11th edition of the event. Beyond the walks, participants can enjoy talks from local experts, family-friendly activities and opportunities to connect with fellow nature enthusiasts and walkers.

This year, among the walks is Beverley Thornley’s ‘Notes on a River - Afon Llynfi,’ which gives some insights into her forthcoming art book and her exploration of the Llynfi River. Also, Mark Harrell’s artist trail will highlight local studios and exhibitions.

There are more than 25 walks of varying difficulty, including Offa’s Dyke. The event kicks off with a talk at Talgarth Town Hall by Nick Busby, who will give a presentation entitled Exploring Dark Skies.

This week on the podcast, we chatted with Havard Prosser, chair of the Talgarth Walkers are Welcome Group.

The xTx Trail

Currently, the longest trail in Texas is the Lone Star Hiking Trail, which clocks in at 96 miles. And Texas is a whole lot bigger than that, so a proposed 1,500-mile trail, called the xTexas Trail, or the xTx, would join the epic US trails.

By comparison, those renowned trails clock in at 2,190 miles for the Appalachian, and 2,653 for the Pacific Crest trails.

Recently, a group of volunteers camped in Kirbyville as day one of the “Sweaty Taste of the xTx: First 100 Miles” group ground-proofing project.

The full 1,500-mile xTexas Trail Project route has been conceived, mapped, and ground-proofed by project founder, Charlie Gandy, who is our guest on the podcast this week.

The new xTexas Trail Project would see the first cross-state trail in Texas begin on Quicksand Creek on the Sabine River in the east, and end in El Paso. Founded by fifth-generation Texan and active-living advocate Gandy, the xTx rambles through quiet public backcountry, paved and gravel roads, public trails, state and national parks, and will eventually cross private ranch land and farms once permission has been established. It will end in El Paso and includes the Big Bend National Park and the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

The xTexas Trail Project exceeded its launch fundraising goals and has garnered the interest of more than 200 volunteers thus far.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at [email protected]

This week we have conversations about the IML – the International Marching League, and a feature on an annual long-distance walk from March in Cambridgeshire, to Cambridge, called the March March March.

IML

The IML (International Marching League) Walking Association is a non-political, non-profit organisation that promotes walking and international cooperation and friendship.

The IML, which consists of the European region and Pan-Pacific region, promotes international multi-day non-competitive walking events in each of the member countries.

IML walkers must walk a minimum of two days at an event, and cover at least 20km on each day, to earn a stamp in their IML passport. There are a variety of awards available for attending walks in different countries.

Events take place throughout the year. In 2025, the organisation added Ottawa, Canada, as a member, and also introduced a new award, the Universal Walker, which is given only to those who have completed all IML walks on the calendar.

March March March

In 1979, a group of Cambridge University students came up with the idea of a walk from the Cambridgeshire town of March back to Cambridge. A March march.

What made it more special, was the idea to do this in the month of March, turning the idea into the March March March.

That first event attracted five walkers, led by Jonathan Partington, who has since completed 23 walks. While there have been a few missing years, the event continues to grow, with the 2025 version attracting 43 walkers, including current organiser Colin Bell, who is approaching Partington’s record, with 19 completions. The 2025 edition also saw another record broken, that of the oldest person – a 64-year-old – to complete the almost 30-mile hike.

We had a chat with Partington and Bell about the history of the unusual annual long-distance walk.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at [email protected]

This week we feature two walking festivals, almost at opposite ends of the UK – in Bristol and Newton Stewart.

Bristol's month-long walking festival, Bristol Walk Fest, has a new closing celebration, the Walk:Bristol event.

Walk:Bristol event on Saturday, May 31 has a choice of four marshalled walks of varying distances, from five to 20 miles. Participants are encouraged to raise sponsorship for good causes, and organisers promise to donate any profit the event may make back to Bristol Walk Fest, to help ensure it continues in the future.

The first ever Walk:Bristol event is organised by mass participation event organisers GoodMiles, in collaboration with Bristol Walk Fest.

Registration for the first-ever Walk:Bristol is now open. Visit www.walkbristol.co.uk to sign up. Participants can also fundraise for a local cause.

Bristol Walk Fest is an annual festival taking place across the city during the whole of May. It has been running for more than 10 years, and organisers encourage people of all ages, interests and abilities to walk to enhance their health and wellbeing, and to enjoy being outside in the city.

Bristol Walk Fest brings together dozens of walking providers and local organisations, and coincides with May being Living Streets’ National Walking Month.

Bristol Walk Fest aims to be the UK’s leading urban walking festival, and to raise the profile of Bristol as a walking destination. The city offers a huge diversity of walks, and we want to celebrate that, while bringing people together in a way that benefits individuals, communities and the environment.

Bristol Walk Fest produces a printed programme and online calendar of walks and events. Past walks have included guided walks, tours, talks, workshops and family events. Walks are curated into different themes including walking for pleasure; nature and wildlife; health and wellbeing; arts, culture and history; and walking sports.

In 2024, more than 80 different walk providers delivered more than 170 walks and events, with approximately 3,300 people participating. Bristol Walk Fest is aiming for at least 80% of the walks to be free to the public.

Jennifer Graham is our guest to talk about the festival.

Newton Stewart Walking Festival

Newton Stewart is a pretty town in Dumfries & Galloway in southwest Scotland.

This year is the 21st Newton Stewart Walking Festival, offering a programme of 31 routes over seven days from May 8th to 15th, as well as a programme of evening social events.

Walks vary from one to 16 miles, and from easy to strenuous. As Newton Stewart is surrounded by hills, many walks include some climbs, with the maximum ascent of one of the walks coming in at 1,300m.

The themes include some of the many hills, coastline, wild swimming, ponds, churches, history, and red kites.

Bookings can now be made online.

We has a conversation with Joan Mitchell about some of the festival highlights.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at [email protected]

This week, we’re talking about the 60th anniversary of the Pennine Way, and walking in Cyprus.

The Pennine Way starts in Edale, Derbyshire, and continues north, ending at Kirk Yetholm, in the Scottish Borders. Unless you’re walking north to south.

The 268-mile long-trail was the first National Trail in England and is one of the UK’s most famous long-distance walks. It officially opened on April 24, 1965. However, the idea behind the path was conceived in 1935.

The Pennine Way has a combined ascent greater than the height of Mount Everest, and its varied terrain includes smooth, wide paths to narrow and uneven sections, as well as some wet and boggy parts.

There are many events taking place at various points of the Pennine Way to celebrate the 60th anniversary.

On the podcast this week, we have a conversation with Hannah Kay, Pennine National Trails partnership manager and park services officer.

Cyprus Strollers

Cyprus has long had ties with the UK, and is a popular holiday destination for not only Europeans but global tourists due to its scenery and Mediterranean climate.

Visitors to the island who love walking can find many trails in the country, but one of the easiest ways to do a walk there, and to meet some like-minded souls, is to visit the Cyprus Strollers’ website, and see their long list of upcoming weekend walks, register, and show up.

The group is led by Xenophon Hasapis, who returned to Cyprus from Greece, where he had set up a similar group in Athens.

You can check out some of the hikes, as well as the schedule, on the Cyprus Strollers’ website.

This week, we’re talking about Canada, and Devon.

The English Riviera not only boasts some of the best weather in the UK, but also has many perfect walking paths.

The English Riviera Walking Festival is returning with more than 20 guided walks from the 14th to the 22nd of June.

The Riviera covers the coastal part of Devon that includes Brixham, Torquay and Paignton. The South West Coast Path takes in the Riviera coastline, and it is also a UNESCO Geopark. Of the 140 Geoparks around the world, the English Riviera is the only seaside resort with this status.

Thirteen of the 24 walks on the website are new additions for the 2025 festival. The walks range from 1.5 miles to 15 miles, and are labelled from easy to strenuous depending on the length and terrain. However, keen hikers can do a 27-mile two-day walk that takes in the entire coastline.

The walks also have a limited number of spaces.

The festival is not for profit, and is staged by the English Riviera BID Company in partnership with Torbay Council.

For more information, and to book walks, visit the festival website.

Hiking in Saskatchewan

The Canadian government recently handed out funding to several of the provinces to boost tourism.

One of these was Saskatchewan, which is not necessarily well known for its tourism and hiking opportunities.

However, the province has 39 provincial parks and two national parks, making it a perfect place to visit for a hiking holiday with a difference. With two major cities, Regina and Saskatoon, it has ample opportunities for spending time exploring, both close to the US border in the south of the province, and in the more remote areas of the northern part.

To tell us about the province, and the many opportunities for walking there, is local outdoors enthusiast and entrepreneur Annika Mang, who runs the Born to Be Aventurous website and the hiking guide app Trail Collectiv.

To find out more about Saskatchewan, visit the Tourism Saskatchewan website.