The 14th Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival
Free guided walks in and around the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site – 4 to 12 May 2019
The team behind the hugely popular annual Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival have launched their long-walks programme for the 2019 festival. The event, running from 4 – 12 May, is offering more than 50 FREE walks over nine days, making it probably the biggest in the West Midlands and one of the best in the country.
The festival offers a number of ‘themed’ walks ranging from two to 21 miles covering a whole host of topics from the wonderful landscape and geology of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site to the wildlife that inhabits The Gorge’s ancient woodlands. The walks are graded in terms of suitability for walks for everyone through to walks for experienced countryside walkers.
Long Walks Programme
The festival is offering a number of long walks for 2019 with five walks of more than 20 miles and six walks of more than 15 miles.
The long walks include The Wrekin and a Rifle Range, taking on some of the less well-known paths on this famous hill, and The Gorge by Rail, a linear walk starting and ending at a railway station and passing through the World Heritage Site.
These routes are aimed at more experienced walkers with the aim of providing a challenging but enjoyable day out. They range in length from 12 to 21 miles and mainly involve walking away from roads; some include steep ascents. Walkers will also need to carry enough food and water for the whole day.
There is also an opportunity to complete the 50 or 100-mile challenge in the nine days by completing the series of daily long walks. Some of these comprise two walks of approximately six miles each, with a break to allow time for lunch in Ironbridge.
The full Walking Festival programme, which will include shorter walks for families, themed wildlife walks, wellness walks and walks to music, will be published later in the year and a leaflet available early 2019.
All walks are free; however, pre-booking is essential as numbers are limited to a maximum of 20 people. Well behaved dogs on a lead are welcome on some walks, but please check before booking.
To reserve a place or request a copy of the programme contact the Ironbridge Visitor Information Centre by email at tic@ironbridge.org.uk or call 01952 433 424. For more details about the walks visit www.ironbridgewalking.co.uk or email info@ironbridgewalking.co.uk
