A week-long festival will combine walks, beautiful landscapes, local knowledge and live music sessions, along the length of a scenic railway line.
The ride2stride is a festival of walks, talks and music along the picturesque Settle to Carlisle railway line. Visitors can celebrate the beautiful landscape with walks led by experienced leaders, hear speakers share their love of the area, or simply enjoy music and song in one of the local pubs.
All of the walks begin and end at one of the stations, so simply turn up at the time of the event to take part. The festival’s walks range from easy and leisurely, to strenuous, full day-long walks.
This year’s programme will begin on Tuesday 30th April with walks including a circular Settle walk taking in Malham Cove and the Three Waterfalls Walk, visiting the waterfalls at Catrigg, Scaleber and Stainforth.
The festival walks will continue throughout the week with trips around Horton, via Thieves Moss limestone pavements, and from Kirkby Stephen along old track ways. In addition, there will be an easy walking tour of Ribblehead Viaduct, a Crags, Caves and Kilns walk from Settle, and a strenuous walk via Snaizeholme (where walkers will hopefully see the red squirrels). There will also be a chance to climb Pen-y -Ghent at a leisurely pace.
There will be a range of interesting talks taking place at this year’s ride2stride, including Curious Tales from the Ancient Graveyard, which will be hosted at The Folly (Settle’s House of Mystery). Other talks will include the Geology of Yorkshire’s Waterfalls, and Steaming along the Welsh Highland Railway.
Each festival day will end with live music sessions in one of the local pubs, offering the perfect chance to rest those feet and enjoy a well-earned pint. If you are planning to join in with the walks, please remember to wear suitable clothing and footwear, and take enough food and drink.
When: 30th April – 6th May 2019
Where: Along the Settle-Carlisle railway line, in the Western Dales and Eden Valley in Cumbria and North Yorkshire
£: It is free to take part in the walks, but tickets will be required for train and bus journeys. Admission to music sessions are free but donations welcome
More info: www.ride2stride.co.uk and www.facebook.com/Ride2stride