Walking Post podcast 26: High Weald Walking Festival

Now in its eighth year, the High Weald Walking Festival has planned new routes and experiences to help more people discover the beauty and history of the High Weald's national landscape.

Interview time:

04:43 High Weald Walking Festival

The festival is free and runs from 13th to 21st September 2025.

In 2024, the event attracted more than 600 walkers from across the High Weald, the UK and abroad. This year's programme is now live and has been expanded and designed to enable every level of walker to experience the High Weald's landscape.

This year, some of the walks take a closer look at life in the High Weald’s 2,500km of public rights of way. In 'A Walk with a Poet' award-winning poet Jemma Borg shares how the High Weald has inspired her work on a walk in Mayfield, while Sussex naturalist Michael Blencowe leads a family wildlife walk on Ashdown Forest exploring the rare habitat and species of lowland heathland.

For people without cars, there are more walks that can be accessed by train or bus. The festival has teamed up with East Sussex Health Walks (The Conservation Volunteers - TCV), Sussex Wildlife Trust and Bedgebury National Pinetum for a series of wellbeing walks that are both accessible and social.

Due to popularity and available space, some walks will require pre-booking at https://www.highwealdwalks.org/

We had a conversation about the festival with Lucy Bowyer, community engagement officer at the High Weald National Landscape Partnership.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]