Community News

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2010

Friday 12th February 2010

Learning Welsh as you walk, checking World War II aircraft crash sites whilst walking 22 miles in a day, trying your hand at bush craft, or chancing upon a group of minstrels performing en route – these are all part of the varied walks programme for Crickhowell Walking Festival to be held from February 27th to March 7th 2010. The festival has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
Now in its third year, the festival has more than sixty guided walks over nine days of walking. The terrain varies from short and level walks in the beautiful Usk Valley to very tough exacting routes at high altitude. Special interest walks include a wide range of topics and are for all abilities, whilst the harder routes take walkers through some of the most magnificent scenery to be found in Wales. From the wild windy ridges of the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons, to quiet unknown valleys where the red kites hover above, primroses grow in the hedgerows, and the first lambs are in the fields.
A full programme of events will run throughout the Festival, providing weary walkers - and non-walkers - with relaxation in the evenings and alternative day time pursuits. Check out the Festival website on www.crickhowellfestival.com for details of these concerts, talks and quizzes, many of which are free. Walkers staying for a few days will enjoy some of the celebrations that make St David’s Day special on March 1st, when there is a chance to enjoy Welsh fare on local menus and Crickhowell’s award winning choir will perform a special evening concert. Navigation courses, Nordic Pole Walking, Mountain Biking and Canoeing are just some of the activities that can be tried as part of the festival programme.

This year Doug Scott, the mountaineer who conquered Everest’s south west face, as well as completing many other “first” climbs, will be giving a talk on his “Life and Hard Times”. How fitting that he should visit Crickhowell, the family home town of Sir George Everest, Surveyor of India in the 1830’s and after whom the mountain is named.  The Festival is raising funds for Help for Heroes, many of whom learnt their outdoor skills in these beautiful hills.


Local accommodation varies from simple to luxurious, and a wide choice can be viewed on www.crickhowellinfo.org.uk, where numerous pubs, inns and first rate restaurants will also be found. Crickhowell has a good range of shops and services, and trains serve Abergavenny, 6 miles away.  Travel times by road are 1 hour to Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol and Gloucester. Birmingham is a two hour drive, and London is three hours.

Walks, which are limited to twenty walkers, cost £5 and must be pre-booked. Events and entertainment costs (where applicable) are in the programme and on the festival website www.crickhowellfestival.com Programmes and entry forms are available on line or by telephoning the Crickhowell Resource & Information Centre on 01873 811970 or emailing walks@crickhowellinfo.org.uk.



Released at 11:04 on 12/02/2010 | Permalink
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