South Pennines Park's Walk and Ride Festival is set to return after a four-year hiatus

The event is hosted by the South Pennines Park and aims of encouraging people to explore the beauty of the park area.

Taking place in the scenic South Pennines region, which includes the Calder Valley, the festival is scheduled to run from throughout September 2023.

Organisers are looking for people to add their events to the itinerary for people to enjoy as part of the collaborative festival.

This year's edition will showcase an array of activities, including walking, biking, and horse riding, inviting participants to explore the breath-taking beauty of the region's landscapes – and organisers want to include and promote more events that people can choose from.

This year the festival is highlighting its commitment to accessibility and inclusivity by offering an inclusive and accessible route specifically designed for those with physical limitations as well as e-routes tailored for the housebound community.

Rebecca Royce from South Pennines Park said: “We want to continue the success of the Walk & Ride festival by providing a month-long event to encourage and support people to get outdoors.

“We want all our walks to be accessible to everyone, especially those with disabilities or who are from least economically advantaged groups, or culturally diverse communities. But to do that we need organisations, charities, and community groups to help us to deliver these fun and exciting events.

“We have found that working with others to deliver the Walk & Ride Festival allows us to have a bigger impact on communities lading to greater numbers of people accessing nature more consistently into the future.”

The types of events the festival is looking for include:

• Events aimed at beginners, intermediates, or experts.
• Events aimed at children, families, adults, elderly or are accessible.
• Events that have a theme like getting into nature, discovering heritage, how to navigate, cycling adventures, exploring bridleways, etc.
• Workshops that could help people learn more about activities like cycling, navigating or horse trekking.

To register as part of the festival contact [email protected] before Sunday 17 July.