Countryside fans are in for a treat as the 15th annual Walking East Yorkshire Festival returns in September featuring everything from vineyard tours to a ghost walk.
Celebrating the ‘Great Outdoors’, this year’s festival will offer a packed programme of events from 6 to 14 September aimed at walkers, cyclists, nature lovers and history enthusiasts.
It aims to shine a spotlight not only on the rolling landscape of the Wolds, which inspired one of Britain’s most iconic artists David Hockney, but also the wildlife-rich heritage coastline, as well as historic market towns and even the city of Hull.
Launching the festival will be a circular walk from the multi award-winning Laurel Vines, a family-run vineyard and winery in the heart of East Yorkshire, followed by an afternoon tea, on Saturday 6 September (£15 per person, must be booked in advance).
Also returning is the ever-popular Boots and Beer Walk, taking in valleys as well as a short stretch of the Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail, ending with the chance to sample a couple of the award-winning Wold Top beers at its brewery on the Mellor family farm on 11 September (£15, including two half pint samples, or soft drinks, and a savoury buffet).
Festival highlights for 2025 include walking the Wold Rangers Way in four stages over four days. Those looking for a slightly shorter route can join events leaving Huggate, Millington and Kilnwick Percy, taking in sections of the Yorkshire Wolds Way.
For history buffs, there are guided walks around historic homes, including a tea and cake tour at Carlton Towers, a Grade I listed stately home in the Victorian Gothic-revival style, which today is still a family home (£15 per person, must be booked in advance).
In Beverley there are guided trails to learn about the town’s history, from shipbuilding to philosopher and educationalist Mary Wollstonecraft – often called the ‘Mother of feminism’ – who was born and brought up in the town. Plus, on Sunday 14, Beverley is the venue for a History Meets Mystery Walking Tour bringing to life the medieval market town’s ghostly goings on (£5, booking essential).
While many will have heard of the ‘Bayeux Tapestry’, East Yorkshire is home to the Stamford Bridge Tapestry, which will feature in a walk and viewing on 10 September. A short walk around the site of the Battle of Stamford Bridge – where the Saxons defeated the Vikings in September 1066 – will end at Platform 66 Heritage Centre to learn more about the tapestry, created in stitched wool on linen using the same embroidery as its famous namesake (free, but booking essential).
Among other events are a walk across the Humber Bridge with spectacular views of the Humber Estuary, while on the coast, there are trails along several stretches of the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Walks along Hull’s waterfront will explore Hull’s maritime and cultural history, as well as the renowned Fish Trail through the city centre.
And for cyclists, the free Hornsea history ride around flat and quiet country lanes offers a guided route at a leisurely pace on 6 September (booking essential).
For more details, visit www.walkingeastyorkshirefestival.co.uk
For tourist information on East Yorkshire, see www.visiteastyorkshire.co.uk
