The Westmorland Dales Festival at Kirkby Stephen is a chance to celebrate the landscape, heritage and people of the Westmorland Dales.
And there is a packed and exciting programme in store.
Day one — on Saturday, July 29 — is all about getting out and exploring the wonderful landscape of the Westmorland Dales.
Highlights include guided walks led by Kirkby Stephen’s Walkers are Welcome with Access the Dales and the Northern Viaduct Trust; an open day at the town’s Jubilee Park with nature activities for all the family; a cheesemaking demonstration and meadow walk at Piper Hole Farm; and a Cumbria Classic Coach tour guided by staff of the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership.
Anyone keen to navigate their own routes through the Dales can learn how to do so at a special class with qualified mountain leaders.
An evening at Pennine View Park’s Engine Shed with refreshments and music from Kirkby Stephen Grammar School band the Jukers will close the day.
On Sunday, July 30, the celebrations will continue in Kirkby Stephen with the usual mix of conservation, arts and craft stalls and food and produce markets, with old favourites and new exhibitors including mental health charity and organic growers Growing Well; Garden Organic’s master composters; and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.
There will be live music, legends of the Westmorland Dales with storyteller Emily Hennessey, a wild play day by the river with Stomping Ground, and a treasure hunt.
Vintage tractors, Fell ponies and Farmers’ Network sheep will bring the countryside into town; Winton Park Gardens will be open; and Cumbria Classic Coaches will provide a shuttle service between attractions and Kirkby Stephen’s main line station.
Stainmore Railway at Kirkby Stephen East and an Eden Valley Spinners, Weavers and Dyers exhibition will be open all weekend, and there are a host of eating places and independent shops in and around Kirkby Stephen to discover.
Amanda Walters, of the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, said: “The festival offers a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Westmorland Dales. It’s a great area to explore at any time of year with a fascinating geological story from tropical seas to desert landscapes to ice ages, as well as outstanding wildlife.
“The cultural heritage of the area is also incredibly rich, and you can find out more about all this and the work of our landscape partnership scheme on our whistlestop tour of the area with Cumbria Classic Coaches on July 29.”
Book free places now for the coach tour, guided walks, navigation class and Piper Hole events. Pop into Upper Eden Visitor Centre, just off Kirkby Stephen’s Market Square, for information about how to book, or contact the centre at visit@uecp.org.uk, on 017683 71199.
