AVID trekkers have kicked off the sixth Dursley Walking Festival.

The walking festival started today and will feature 27 walks through this weekend, finishing on Sunday.

Hosted by members of the Dursley’s Walkers are Welcome Steering Group, the festival includes guided routes for people of all abilities, and ranging from heritage walks and bird watching routes to more ambitious tracks.

Group chairman Chris Cherry added that this year the festival will also feature Nordic pole walking taster sessions.

““The walks vary in length, duration and fitness levels as well as varying interests, we are pleased to offer a health walk in the programme when walkers will be led on local footpaths and pavements for up to an hour,” he said.

“Other shorter length walks include sections of the proposed route for the Cam, Dursley and Uley Greenway and heritage walks in both Cam and Dursley.

“Special interest walks include bird watching, photography, sketching, Uley through the ages (including a Neolithic tomb) and geology.

“For the first time we have a taster session for Nordic Pole Walking and then we have longer walks which include a bus walk (a linear walk, bus there and walk back) and several other led walks up to 10 miles.”

Another addition this year is the self-guided Lantern Way Challenge which people can register for between 8am-9am on Saturday.

Participants who complete the route will receive a souvenir pen and certificate.

All walks are free of charge but bus fare will be required for those without travel passes on the bus walk.

Printed programmes are available from many outlets in the surrounding area including Dursley Library, Dursley Town Council offices at Jacob’s House, Dursley Swimming Pool, The Heritage Centre and the Cam Parish Council offices.

There are also additional social events such as a quiz night, an illustrated talk and a tea and cakes afternoon, small charges are made for these events.

One such event is a talk on Cam and the Winterbothams by Jenny Parsons on Saturday from 7.30pm at Dursley Town Hall.

There will be a celebration of the Dursley Walking Festival at 9.45am on Saturday in the Market Place, Dursley with acoustic music from Hosts of the Air and Mark Cummings of BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

For more information visit www.dursleywelcomeswalkers.org.uk