Beat A Path to Guildford’s Popular Free Walking Festival This September

Published on: 3 Aug, 2024
Updated on: 3 Aug, 2024

Guildford’s popular free walking festival, Walkfest, is back again for its 18th year and its website, with full details, is now live.

For the Guildford Walkfest website click on on the image to open in a new window.

There is at least one walk every day throughout September to get you out exploring your local area.

The festival is a collaboration between all the main walking groups within Guildford borough including the Surrey Hills Society, Guildford Ramblers, Guildford Health Walks and the Town Guides.

There are walks for all ages and abilities on many different topics.

It also includes specialists walk leaders who talk on particular topics like the Wey & Arun Canal Trust and Carbon Zero who will be hosting an evening bat walk this year.

It also has well known local walk leaders such as David Rose, who leads regular history walks. While mountain walk leader, Pete Lambert from DG Adventures will be leading a walk from the town to show you some of his favourite parts of the borough.

Chris Howard, who chairs Walkfest, is also leading a long-distance, 14-mile walk from Dorking to Guildford towards the end of the festival.

Walks range in length and cover the whole of the borough and sometimes even stray a little further afield.

Buggy walk led by Muddy Boots Group at Whitmoor Common.

There is a buggy walk for babies led by Muddy Boots group that are based in the Queen Elizabeth Park Baptist Community Centre, while Send Parish Council has organised a toddler walk along the canal.

The are rather less strenuous strolls around the town in the company of one of the Guildford Town Guides, or for those who would like to get into the habit of a regular walk then why not try the Guildford Health Walks’ programme that is designed to get new people who have perhaps had some health issues to get back out exercising again.

The month-long series of walks begins on Sunday, September 1, with a short one-mile explore around Newlands Corner.

On Tuesday, September 2, the festival will be officially launched by the Mayor of Guildford, Sallie Barker, at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community Centre, followed by a short walk around Whitmoor Common, led by Muddy Boots walk leader, Jeanette Cattermole.

Guildford Walkfest co-ordinator Ken Bare and its chair, Chris Howard.

Chris Howard said: “We live in such a beautiful area and yet many people who come on our walks are amazed at what special places lie right around the corner and they never knew about them. Walkfest is a fantastic community initiative that is free for everyone, is good for the body and great for the soul.”

It is important to book your space on each walk via the Guildford Walkfest website at www.guildfordwalkfest.co.uk

Check out its blog page too, which is well worth reading, with latest contributions by Jeanette and John Cattermole of Muddy Boots and local historian David Rose.