It must be the start of the prime walking season in Britain, as walking festivals are starting to appear thick and fast across the country. And, as well as some great walking opportunities these are also a chance to meet some Cicerone authors.
This weekend Ulverston is the place to be, with both the Ulverston Walking Festival and the Backpackers Club weekend both commencing on 27th April and based at Ford Park.
The Ulverston WalkFest runs from 27th April to 6th May, with a variety of events and walks on offer. Part of the schedule is an Outdoor Trade Show, on Saturday 27th at Ford Park, where you will find a Cicerone stand and an opportunity to browse through some of our titles, as well as several other outdoor retailers. Look out for prolific Cicerone author Paddy Dillon, who is sure to in attendance throughout the week.
The Backpackers AGM is running just for the weekend of 27th and 28th April, but it is a packed two days. On the Saturday is your chance to hear author Mark Richards talk about his Lakeland Fellranger series; and with the final volume arriving in June, what better time to get a little inspiration from the man himself?

From The Far Eastern Fells, by Mark Richards
Finally, on the Sunday, the Backpackers have organised a table-top sale. This is the time to bag a bargain, with many of our ‘seconds’ – previous print runs or old editions – on offer at knockdown prices.
If you’re not near Ulverston, but find yourself in the north east of England, there is a festival for you too. The Haltwhistle Walking Festival has the exact same dates as Ulverston, and on 29th April features a talk by Paddy Dillon on the Reivers Way – a route which he knows so well he literally wrote the book on it!
Don’t forget, you can keep track of many walking festivals on our homepage – keep an eye on the Diary Dates section on the right hand side. If you know of a festival that we haven’t mentioned on there, be sure to let us know and we’ll be happy to add it to the list.