Moray is stepping out towards Scotland’s only Midsummer walking festival with a host of events, talks and walks suitable for people of all ages.
The Moray Walking Festival will include a hike led by Scotland’s best known walker, Cameron McNeish, who will lead a trip up Ben Rinnes.
Sponsored by Walkers of Moray, Craigdon and Jessops and funded by Arts & Business, the 2014 festival kicks off on June 18 with a pre-launch talk by Clifton Bain on the ‘Ancient Pinewoods of Scotland’.
As in previous years the voluntary organisation, Moray Way Association, has brought together community groups, landowners, and walking and environmental organisations to create a Moray wide events programme.
The festival will provide community groups with an opportunity to promote their organisation’s activities, as well as the ability to generate some valuable income from participation fees.
Joan Megson of the Burghead Headland Trust said: “This is the first year that we have taken part in the festival and we feel that a walking event will give a very different view of the area.
“It is an opportunity for us to show off Burghead’s many layers of history, geology and important points of interest right up to the present day.”
Cameron McNeish is a renowned hiker and mountain walker who presented the BAFTA award winning ‘The Edge – One Hundred years of Scottish Mountaineering’ and the Channel 4 six-part series, ‘Wilderness Walks’.
Speaking ahead of his taking part in the Moray Walking Festival, Cameron said: “Midsummer in Moray – what could be better? Long days in the sunniest part of Scotland with a choice of great walks from the hills of whisky country to the glorious seascapes and beaches of the Moray Coast Trail.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting old friends and greeting new ones on my walk up Ben Rinnes and it’ll be great to share some of my own outdoor experiences at my talk in the evening. So come along and join us, it’s going to be another great event.”
Jim Thomson, Chair of the Moray Way Association who manage the festival, added: “We think this year’s programme gives a real feel of Moray’s cultural, natural and historical features – there’s a walk for all walks of life!”
Pre booking is essential for all events – further information can be found on http://www.moraywalkingfestival.co.uk or by email to info@moraywalkingfestival.co.uk.