Britain's best autumn walking festivals

By Nicholas Roe

The crisp days of autumn, when skies are a deep azure, leaves crunch underfoot and mists curl across the fields, are a perfect time to explore Britain's countryside on foot. One of the best ways to discover a new area is to dip into one of the growing number of regional walking festivals that offer a programme of guided group walks, graded for all ages and abilities.

St Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight: walk of the week Here are some of the events to look out for this month and in October, along with ideas for what to do when you would like a break from your boots. Remember that places on many festival walks have to be booked, so check websites for details.

Derbyshire
This is the eighth year for Autumn Footprints, the Amber Valley and Erewash walking festival that spreads over an intensely beautiful area of central Derbyshire. Like most autumn festivals, it's organised by a coalition including local authorities, but this one is more interesting than most: 33 walks over 16 days, many with a particular theme – such as Nordic walking (using sticks), a food walk, even an ecotherapy stroll designed to induce mental wellbeing.

Possibly the most interesting is a poetry walk next Thursday, which includes regular stops for readings: you might welcome the pauses, given that two very steep hills are involved. All walks are free.

When
From September 11-26.

How
www.visitpeakdistrict.com: search for Autumn Footprints.

Stay
The Priest House Hotel, Castle Donington (0845 072 7502; www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/hotels/priest-house), offers doubles from £85.

What else?
Denby Pottery Visitor Centre (01773 740799; www.denby.co.uk/pcat/visitor_centre) in the Amber Valley is set in a cobbled courtyard with award-winning garden, shops, pottery, museum, restaurant and play area.

Devon
The North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival takes place on Exmoor National Park and around the towering cliffs of north Devon. As a bonus, the Exmoor Food Festival coincides with the walking event, so many hikes will have a food theme.

Generally speaking, the walks in north Devon's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will be gentler than those on Exmoor, and food strolls will include farmhouse lunches, cream teas or pub stops – all of which will be popular, so book early. Distances range from easy four-milers up to 10 miles or more, with eight routes to choose from each day. Be prepared for driving between start points.

When
October 1–4.

How
01271 863001; www.exmoorwalkingfestival.co.uk

Stay
The Yarn Market Hotel, Dunster (01643 821425; www.yarnmarkethotel.co.uk), in Exmoor National Park, has doubles from £100.

What else?
Exmoor Food Festival (www.exmoorfoodfestival.co.uk) runs from October 1-10. Barle Valley Safaris (01643 851386; www.exmoorwildlifesafaris.co.uk) operates three-hour wildlife safaris on Exmoor with pickups from Dulverton and Dunster: £25 per person.

Snowdonia, Wales
If you enjoy the challenge of a tough mountain trek, then the Snowdonia Walking Festival is a good option. Starting in or around the village of Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia National Park, the 12 walks in the programme cover some of the most beautiful high landscapes in Britain, including an ascent to Snowdon's peak at 3,560ft, taking about seven hours.

There are easier walks, too, including a three-mile low-level "stroll" and a six-mile hike past the neolithic tombs that dot the area. A degree of fitness is required if you are to get the best out of this festival. Shorter, low-level walks cost £10 each, mountain treks, £20. An evening of free Welsh music is promised on October 16.

When
October 13–17.

How
www.snowdoniawalkingfestival.co.uk

Stay
The Royal Oak Hotel in Betws-y-Coed (01690 710219; www.royaloakhotel.net) has doubles from £110.

What else?
Sygun Copper Mine in Beddgelert (01766 890595; www.syguncoppermine.co.uk) offers tours through atmospheric tunnels and boasts a superb location: the film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness was filmed there in 1958. Also see Betws-y-Coed Tourism Association: www.betws-y-coed.co.uk

Isle of Wight
Feelings will run high during the Isle of Wight's autumn walking weekend, thanks to a guided stroll designed to make lovers out of hikers. The Speed Dating Walk requires people to form pairs and follow a leader into the area around Sandown Bay. When the whistle blows, everyone changes partners – and maybe makes a date. That's on October 24, at £12 with lunch, £5 without. Book early, it's popular.

If this isn't for you, there are 60 other walks; older children will love the Hallowe'en Adventures six-miler on October 23, when everyone is encouraged to dress up for an evening stroll through forest and a graveyard. Another walk celebrates the 40th anniversary of the island's first rock festival, visiting the site where Jimi Hendrix played.

When
October 22–25.

How
01983 823070; www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk For ferries, see www.wightlink.co.uk and www.redfunnel.co.uk

Stay
Wightlink offers a three-night self-catering stay at Niton Barns (0871 376 0013; www.wightlink.co.uk/greengetaways) during October for £130 per person (based on four sharing), including return ferry from Portsmouth or Lymington.

Staffordshire
Five years ago, John Knox, a businessman, fell ill, but he fought his way back to health by taking up walking. This festival, devised by Knox as a testament to the pleasures of the outdoor life, is the result. Called The Wallaby Walking Festival in honour of the marsupials said to have once colonised the area, the event takes place on open moorland surrounding the town of Leek, with a choice of five walks over three days.

Each stroll costs from £5 to £8.50; routes range from a modest country park five-miler to the John Knox Challenge Walk, which extends for more than 20 miles across rugged terrain – and is suitable only for experienced hikers who are confident map-readers.

When
October 23–25.

How
01538 399733; www.thewallabywalkingfestival.co.uk

Stay
Peak Weavers (01538 383729; http://peakweavershotel.co.uk) offers peaceful rooms close to Leek centre; doubles from £88.

What else? Ride the Churnet Valley Railway from Leek (www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk), a 10-mile steam experience passing small villages and lovely countryside.

Northumberland
There's an unusual opener to the Wooler Walking Weekend in Northumberland: a night walk. Peter McEwen, a navigation expert, will lead a group for three miles over the wild Cheviot Hills near the town of Wooler, explaining how to walk confidently in the dark without getting lost or hurt.

There are also daytime hikes of eight to 11 miles (£10 each) exploring the historical and geological background to this region. The festival is two years old and was originally designed to drum up custom for Wooler Youth Hostel, so you can stay in dormitory-style accommodation – or book a local hotel or b & b.

When
October 29–3.

How
01668 216439; www.walknorthumbria.co.uk

Stay
The 400-year-old Tankerville Arms Hotel in Wooler (01668 281581; www.tankervillehotel.co.uk) offers doubles from £110; Wooler Youth Hostel (www.yha.org.uk) charges from £14 a night for adults.

What else?
Ford, Etal, Branxton, Milfield and Crookham are small communities in the River Till valley, near Wooler; attractions include the ruins of Etal Castle, the site of Flodden Battlefield and a steam railway (01890 820338; www.ford-and-etal.co.uk)