Celebrate the spectacular scenery surrounding Marsden during a festive weekend of guided walks, talks, film and food in the Pennine town.
Tickets are now on sale for the first Marsden Walking Weekend, taking place on September 15 and 16 and run by the Marsden Walkers are Welcome group.
The aim is to raise the profile of the organisation , founded eight years ago as part of the national Walkers are Welcome towns initiative, and promote the way-marked routes that give walkers access to the outstanding natural beauty of the area.
Mark Kelly, chairman of the Marsden group, says: “We have walks and events to suit everyone. There’s a 10-mile big walk, a six-mile walk and a family-friendly two-and-a-half-mile walk. We’ve had lots of interest from other walking groups outside the area as we’ve timed the weekend to coincide with the South Pennines Ride and Walk Festival.”
Marsden Walkers are Welcome has a core team of around 25 people who walk, clear and maintain marked footpaths in the area. The group has recently revised and re-printed a series of guides to five walks, which are being launched at the Natural Kirklees Summer Gala on August 12. Copies will be available from Meltham Library, Marsden Library and Marsden Mechanics. As Mark says: “The weekend is partly a funraiser to help the group continue the work of maintaining footpaths and devising and publicising way-marked trails.”
The walking weekend in September will also offer visitors the chance to try Nordic walking, learn about the history of Marsden , listen to poetry, enjoy an evening film – Reese Witherspoon in Wild, the chronicle of a solo 1,100-mile hike along the Pacific Trail – and stoke up on a Sunday morning breakfast before a hike of their own.
Some events are free but tickets for the whole weekend, including guided walks, the film and breakfast on Sunday, are £14 per person.
The event HQ for the weekend will be Marsden Mechanics, which is also taking ticket bookings via marsdenmechanics.co.uk/events
For a schedule of events visit the Marsden Walkers are Welcome Facebook page
