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Wolverhampton Walking Festival 2015 promises to take residents off the beaten track to explore different parts of Wolverhampton and the surrounding area, and with walks for people of all ages and abilities, there's sure to be something for everyone.
Highlights include guided walks around local beauty spots including West Park, East Park, Pendeford Mill, Northycote Farm, Bantock Park and the Smestow Valley, a special early morning walk to mark International Dawn Chorus Day, Nordic Walking taster sessions, figure of 8 walks from Wolverhampton city centre and new 4 and 12 mile routes for the annual Walking for Health Challenge Trail.
Wolverhampton Mountaineering Club will be in the Clent Hills, Wolverhampton Ramblers will be heading to Kinver and Enville and there will also be health walks, slideshows, a sponsored walk in aid of Guide Dogs and a 'toddle waddle' for the little ones.
Wolverhampton Walking Festival 2015 takes place from Saturday 2 May to Sunday 10, May and has been organised by the Wolverhampton Healthy Lifestyle Service, Wolverhampton City Council and a number of other organisations.
The programme of walks includes:
Saturday 2 May: Northycote Farm Health Walk, up to 90 minutes, 10.30am; Bantock Park Tree Trail, 2 hours, easy, 1pm; The Green Ways and Pathways of Penn, 5 miles, difficult, 2pm.
Sunday 3 May: Dawn Chorus walk and talk, Northycote Farm, 2 hours, easy, 4.30am; Perton Health Walk, up to 90 minutes, difficult, 2pm.
Monday 4 May: Highgate-Enville Circular, 7 or 8 miles, difficult, 10am; West Park History Walk, 2 hours, easy, 1pm.
Tuesday 5 May: A Walk from Wildside Activity Centre, 6 miles, difficult, 10am; Bantock Park Health Walk, 1 mile, easy, 10.30am; Toddle Waddle Health Walk around West Park, 1 mile, easy, 11.30am; Smestow Valley Ramble on the Reserve, 3 hours, moderate, 12.30pm; Bilston Health Walk, 2 miles, easy, 2.30pm; Wolverhampton Mountaineering Club slideshow, Wolf Mountain, 8.15pm.
Wednesday 6 May: West Park Nordic Walking taster session, 1 hour, moderate, 11am and 12.30pm; Pendeford Mill Wildlife Walk and Talk, 2 hours, moderate, 10am; Heritage Health Walk, 90 minutes, easy, 2pm; Seven Cornfields Health Walk, 90 minutes, difficult, 6pm, Codsall Evening Walk, 5 miles, difficult, 7pm.
Thursday 7 May: Birds of the Smestow Valley, 2 hours, moderate, 10am; Wolverhampton Figure of Eight Walk, 3 miles and 7 miles, difficult, 10am (3 miles) and 12.30pm (7 miles); Northycote Farm Health Walk, up to 3 miles, moderate, 10.30am; Clent Hills, 3 miles, difficult, 10.30am.
Friday 8 May: Pendeford Health Walk, 2 miles, easy, 10.30am; Fowlers Park Health Walk, 90 minutes, moderate, 2pm.
Saturday 9 May: Walking for Health Challenge Trail, 4 miles and 12 miles, moderate and difficult, 9.30am; East Park History Walk, 2 hours, easy, 1pm.
Sunday 10 May: Pendeford Mill Wildlife Open Day, moderate, 10am to 4pm, West Park Health Walk, up to 2 miles, easy, 10.30am, Dogs Unite, Guide Dogs sponsored walk around West Park, 2 miles, easy, 11am; Kinver and Beyond, 6 miles, difficult, 2pm.
For more information on the 2015 Wolverhampton Walking Festival, please call the Wolverhampton Healthy Lifestyle Service on 01902 444246 or freephone 0800 073 4242, or log on to Type=links;Linkid=6002;Title=Walking Festival 2015;Target=_blank;.
Ros Jervis, Wolverhampton City Council's Director of Public Health, said: "There are some fantastic activities taking place during our fifth Wolverhampton Walking Festival, with events to suit people of all ages and abilities.
"Walking can improve your health and happiness, and it's also a great way to get or stay in shape.
"The Festival also supports our Call to Action for the city to come together to reduce rates of obesity in Wolverhampton - and I'd encourage everyone who takes part in one of the walks to record the miles they complete at Type=articles;Articleid=5683;Title=Tackling obesity in Wolverhampton; so together we can meet our Million Miles for Wolverhampton challenge."
Hayley Scott, Healthy Lifestyle Locality Manager, said: "The festival walks are a great opportunity to meet some friendly, like minded people and see some of the local beauty spots and hidden green parts of Wolverhampton and surrounding areas. Everyone is welcome, and best of all, they are all free."
The Wolverhampton Walking Festival 2015 is organised by Wolverhampton Healthy Lifestyle Service, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Wolverhampton City Council with the assistance of Wolverhampton Ramblers Association, Nordic Walking UK, Wolverhampton Mountaineering Club, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Wolves Community Trust, Wildside Activity Centre and Wolf Mountain.
- released: Thursday 16 April, 2015