Chesterfield Walking Festival offers attractions for all ages and abilities

The popular Chesterfield Area Walking Festival will take place from May 13 to 21 with lots of different walks catering for all ages and abilities.

There are walks for the family to enjoy like the Bumblebee Safari where you can find out more about these important pollinators, a Buggy Walk for parents of young children around Queen’s Park, a family friendly Wildlife Hunt and the popular Boat and Boots which includes a trip along the Cheserfield Canal.

Walks focused on heritage include an exploration of Creswell Crags and Holbeck, the restoration of Chesterfield Canal, a guided walk discovering the history of the Avenue Country Park and a tour of the Chesterfield Museum stores where visitors will see several items from the collection that have not been on display before. Learn all about the black and white timber buildings in Chesterfield town centre or the industrialists and inventors who are buried in Spital churchyard.

Head off the beaten track and take a 10-mile ramble along old railway lines. Or be at one with nature by practising the ancient Japanese art of forest bathing.

For the more experienced hiker the festival includes a few strenuous walks like the popular 34-mile Chesterfield Round, a tour of Harewood and Longside Moors and a hike around the Big Moor Stone Circles.

All the walks are led by a trained guide who knows the history, wildlife and best countryside to walk through in the beautiful landscape around Chesterfield.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, who is Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “The Chesterfield Area Walking Festival is a great event that encourages you to explore the beautiful countryside locations around Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire. It will help you discover some hidden gems that you may not be aware of and the programme has been designed to ensure that there are walks suitable for all abilities.

“The festival is always really popular and regularly sells out. If any of the events interest you, then book your ticket as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”

Booking is essential but most walks included in the festival are free to attend, with a small fee for the rest. Reserve your tickets and find out more about the festival by visiting: www.visitchesterfield.info/walking-festival