RUMBLINGS…

Preparations for the 2010 South Pennines Walk & Ride Festival are well under way, and the draft programme will be handed over to the designer this week.

Most folk who visit this occasional blog (many thanks for your continue support – I know updates are rare!) will be backpackers and they’ll be delighted to learn that this year, for the first time, the festival will feature not one but two weekend backpacking trips, each organised by Backpackers’ Club stalwarts Christine Roche and Tony Whewell.

The festival will also feature a raft of Ramblers 75th anniversary walks, nature walks, LDWA walks, cycling events, mountainbike rides and, of course, some exciting equestrian events – horse riding made its debut in the festival last year and we’re delighted that we’ve more events for 2010.

The launch will be held in Ilkley on September 11, and hosted by Ilkley Walkers Are Welcome, who’re planning a superb day of guided walks, talks, displays and other attractions.

The final list of events is being, erm, finalised, as I write (well, as soon as I’ve finished writing and can get back to finalising the final list) and it’s expected to be distributed in mid- to late-June. It’ll also be on-line at www.southpenninesfestival.co.uk, for interactive searching and download.

In the meantime here’s the flyer … (above) … and as a PDf to print-out and show your friends!

pp-a5-flyer-2010.pdf

If you’re one of the many who’s contributed an event then please stand-by – the initial proofs will be sent around for checking this week. And many, many thanks for helping making this the biggest festival we’ve had yet!

For more details please get in touch, either with myself via this website or with Pennine Prospects (they employ me to pout the festival together) at their Hebden Bridge satellite office on 01422 846049.

See you there!

Phew… tickets for the pacific Crest Trail talk have sold so well that we’ve had to change the venue.

The talk will now be held at St Peter’s Church in Stainforth. It’s much easier to find that the village hall, being just a stone’s throw from the car park and visible to those coming into the village from the campsite.

This wonderful, generous offer by our vicar, Roger, means that we can accommodate twice the numbers and still serve tea and coffees.

That means that tickets are still available in the Craven Heifer in Stainforth, and are now available once more at Cave & Crag, and at Castleberg Sports in Settle. Only two quid a pop folks.

Other fine refreshments will be available in the Craven Heifer immediately after the talk.

Many thanks to everyone for the fantastic level of support we’ve had for this event.

Thinking of coming along on the 26th? Wonderful!

But please give me a bell beforehand if you haven’t already, to reserve tickets. They’re selling faster than expected and quite a few people are already travelling long distances to be here. I would hate for anyone to arrive on the night and find the place full.

The level of support is already terrific. If you’ve already booked tickets, many thanks indeed. If, however, you find that you’re unable to come on the night, please let us know so we can release the tickets being held for you on the door.

The number to ring is OI729 822547. Look forward to seeing you there!

If you’d like to help with promoting the event, the poster above is downloadable. Feel free to print it out and stick it on your fridge, village notice board, have it printed on a T-shirt or plaster it on a passing ice cream van. Or you could do like Phil Lambert and pop it on your own blog or website - many thanks Phil, it’s worked wonders (Mike Knipe’s coming…!).

The third and final talk in a series organised for the South Pennine Walk & Ride Festival takes place tonight.

Author and journalist Andrew Bibby (below) will discuss his fantastic book Backbone of England (pub Frances Lincoln), at the Coach House in Littleborough, just a stone’s throw from the Pennine watershed which he walked over a lengthy period - a route that’s probably as close to the original vision for the Pennine Way that legendary access rights and footpath campaigner Tom Stephenson proposed back in the 1930s.

That the route is walkable today is only because we have new access rights bestowed by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. - if the water gatherers and grouse moor owners had their way, we’d still probably be banned from the watershed of our own country.

Andrew’s talk will be illustrated with images taken by photographer John Morrison, who’s travelling all the way from the Lake District to take part in tonight’s special event.

The talk starts at 7.30pm and will be held at the Coach House in Lodge Street, Littleborough, OL15 9AE (GR: SD938164).

The cost is a mere £3 and refreshments will be available.

The pic above shows Hebden Royd Town Mayor Coun John Beacroft Mitchell, author and tonight’s speaker Andrew Bibby, Pennine Prospects chair Pam Warhurst, myself, and Graham Joyce, head of Pennine Prospects, on behalf of whom I organise the South Pennines Walk & Ride Festival. The picture was taken at the festival launch in Hebden Bridge on September 12.