The Ride2Stride Festival is a simple but genius idea - an annual week long programme of walking and music events and activities in the Yorkshire Dales, each with a link to the splendid Settle - Carlisle Railway.
The Telegraph once described it as "Britain's best free walking festival".
The fact that it's mainly free isn't what makes it so good - it's the variety of events, opportunity to discover new places, celebrate the beauty of the landscape cut through by the railway.
Perhaps best of all is the fact that you don't need a car to participate. Most opportunities to walk anywhere in the Yorkshire Dales start with a car journey as public transport can be quite limited.
Each day during the Ride2Stride festival, walks start at a station on the Settle - Carlisle Railway. The festival programme even tells you what time train to get from Leeds and then which to get back again. There are walks of varying lengths from 5 to 15 miles, all led by experienced walking guides. There's an added dimension to many of the walks - a chance to learn about the local terrain, see some beauty spots and learn about other aspects such as the wildflowers. The programme also includes events such as a Ribblehead Viaduct tour, geology talks and a visit to the Courtyard Dairy.
In the late afternoon and evenings local pubs will be full of music and song. They're timed so walkers can finish at a participating pub after their walk, before heading home. Different venues in Settle, Appleby and Ribblehead will host some excellent folk musicians. The 2019 event takes place from 30th April to 6th May. For full details take a look at the Ride2Stride website.
The Telegraph once described it as "Britain's best free walking festival".
The fact that it's mainly free isn't what makes it so good - it's the variety of events, opportunity to discover new places, celebrate the beauty of the landscape cut through by the railway.
Perhaps best of all is the fact that you don't need a car to participate. Most opportunities to walk anywhere in the Yorkshire Dales start with a car journey as public transport can be quite limited.
Each day during the Ride2Stride festival, walks start at a station on the Settle - Carlisle Railway. The festival programme even tells you what time train to get from Leeds and then which to get back again. There are walks of varying lengths from 5 to 15 miles, all led by experienced walking guides. There's an added dimension to many of the walks - a chance to learn about the local terrain, see some beauty spots and learn about other aspects such as the wildflowers. The programme also includes events such as a Ribblehead Viaduct tour, geology talks and a visit to the Courtyard Dairy.
In the late afternoon and evenings local pubs will be full of music and song. They're timed so walkers can finish at a participating pub after their walk, before heading home. Different venues in Settle, Appleby and Ribblehead will host some excellent folk musicians. The 2019 event takes place from 30th April to 6th May. For full details take a look at the Ride2Stride website.
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