East Yorkshire’s annual walking festival is set to be extra special for 2022 – helping to mark the 40th anniversary of the Yorkshire Wolds National Trail.
Celebrating the ‘Great Outdoors’ in all its glory, this year’s Walking East Yorkshire festival will offer a packed programme of events from 10 to 23 September aimed, not only at walkers, but also cyclists, horse riders, nature lovers and even history enthusiasts.
But this year, the event takes on extra significance, coming just a few weeks before the National Trail’s anniversary on Sunday 2 October – when a big birthday bash is set to see a mass walk by more than 200 people.
Splitting the trail into seven equal sections, walkers are being invited to join the celebrations by tackling one leg of this iconic trail in a combined effort to walk the entire 79 miles in one day, with each section covering roughly 11 miles of the national trail.
The mass event – with 30 places available for each section – will be the culmination of a series of ‘Fab at 40’ birthday events during the year. Booking is essential, with a charge of £5 per person to cover coach transport ().
More chances to take an anniversary trek are also available as part of the Walking East Yorkshire festival with two more organised walks, including coach transport, on established long distance circular walking routes.
The Chalkland Way is a 40-mile circular walking route and will be tackled 10 to 13 September, while The Wold Rangers Way is a challenging circular trail winding its way 43 miles over the Yorkshire Wolds, taking place 17 to 20 September.
Booking is essential for both walks and is limited to 36 places on each, with a charge of £30 per person to cover coach transport over the four days.
For those looking for a less strenuous way of enjoying the ‘Great Outdoors’, the festival aims to showcase plenty more of East Yorkshire’s natural wonders in a variety of ways.
Along with shining a spotlight on the rolling landscape of the Wolds, which inspired one of Britain’s most iconic artists David Hockney, it will also highlight the region’s rich heritage coastline with dramatic chalk cliffs and an abundance of wildlife.
Full details will be unveiled soon, but popular year-on-year events include history tours of market towns, long-distance treks, Nordic walking, canal boat rides, seabird cruises, vineyard tours, brewery visits, ghost walks, lighthouse tours, and outdoor pursuits including kayaking, bodyboarding and wild swimming (www.walkingeastyorkshirefestival.co.uk).
Meanwhile, to mark the National Trail’s 40th anniversary, Visit East Yorkshire has created a special section of its website for the National Trail’s landmark year with details of events and activities as well as showcasing some of the most scenic routes.
As part of the celebrations, artists Ian and Stef Mitchell are taking inspiration from the landscape to create a major art exhibition celebrating the Yorkshire Wolds and the National Trail, which will be staged at the Bridlington Spa and The Treasure House, in Beverley, from September.
Details of events and activities round the 40th anniversary, as well as a downloadable Yorkshire Wolds guide, can be found on the National Trail anniversary website at
For general tourist information on East Yorkshire as a destination: www.visiteastyorkshire.co.uk
Fpr more details about top places to visit, see our Fab at Forty feature.