Organisers behind the new Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival, launching this spring, have revealed a jam-packed programme of events.
Celebrating the great outdoors, the Festival will take place across a host of locations to showcase everything the Lincolnshire Wolds has to offer, from walking to stream dipping and cycling to fishing.
The event, 30 April-5 June, is the successor to the Lincolnshire Wolds Walking Festival and aims to broaden the appeal of that festival by celebrating the Wolds as a place to visit, get active, and explore.
As well as featuring traditional outdoor pursuits such as walking and cycling, it will now include more outdoor activities, from fishing to yoga, and golf to water sports.
With 216 square miles of countryside, rolling hills and picturesque hidden valleys, the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) has long attracted walkers and cyclists.
Now the new Festival aims to encourage more people to get out and explore the stunning scenery, as well as get active or try their hand at new experiences.
And the full programme has just been revealed, to also include a cream tea walk, deer safaris, open water swimming and even ‘Dance Free’ sessions.
It all gets underway on 30 April with an Outdoor Festival Activity Day at Stourton Woods, near Horncastle, a traditional family-run farm with historic parkland and woodland, home to a herd of Red Deer. A range of activities will be taking place throughout the day, including deer safaris, walks, dancing, bushcraft, bike track, nature trail, archery, axe throwing and yoga.
Stourton Woods will also host Deer Safaris on various dates throughout the Festival, with visitors boarding a tractor and trailer for a tour around the parkland to see the red deer and learn more about how they are looked after.
Among other highlights are a whole host of walks, including a six-mile Cream Tea Walk (1 June), Walking in the Footsteps of Tennyson (8 and 25 May) and even a chance to walk Where Elephants Once Roamed when geologists will explain how the ice shaped the landscape over thousands of years (11 May).
Cyclists can choose from several rides, including South Ormsby and the Wolds by bike, a 26-mile leisure ride, including a steady climb along the historic Bluestone Heath Road, which offers views across the Lincolnshire Wolds (28 May).
Open water swimming, as well as kayaking, reiki, and yoga will be on offer during a Wellbeing Activity Open Day at The Ocean Walker Academy (5 June), while for a spot of relaxation, combining music, dance and nature, Dance Free sessions (30 April, 1 May) feature this free movement activity held in natural locations where participants move to music wearing silent disco headsets.
Pre-booking is essential for most of the events. For full details, visit www.woldsoutdoorfestival.com
For tourist information about visiting the county, see www.visitlincolnshire.com