Festival of Walks: Boroughbridge

Boroughbridge and the surrounding area has always been a popular place for a stroll, so we catch up with the volunteers behind the upcoming Boroughbridge Festival Of Walks…

For many people, a walk through the countryside is a good way to relax and appreciate the beautiful surroundings. A series of organised walks and events may sound like many people’s idea of a fantastic weekend – but for the organisers, it could become a serious headache.
So the team behind Boroughbridge Festival of Walks is keen to maintain that sense of enjoyment and relaxation.
“We hate the word ‘committee’. It’s just a group of people,” said festival spokesman Barry McCallum.
“When it comes to the festival, we’re just a group of volunteers. The first couple of years we met in people’s houses, although we are now meeting at the Crown Hotel.”

“We hate the word ‘committee’. It’s just a group of people,”

This informal approach belies the amount of work which goes into the event. Set up in 2013 to mark Boroughbridge achieving Walkers are Welcome status, it has this year changed from a week-long series of events to just four days over the Easter weekend – yet the schedule is as packed as ever.
“We decided this year would be just over a weekend and concentrate it rather than spreading it out,” said Barry. “Last year, it wasn’t over the schools’ Easter holidays, which made a difference because we aim it at the family market as well as holiday makers.”
The programme will once again include routes around the Boroughbridge area, taking in local landmarks and villages. From a children’s treasure hunt at Marton-le-Moor to a 12-mile ramble from Roecliffe, there will be something to suit all ages and abilities – including a ghost walk, which attracted more than 90 people in 2014.
The group has also coordinated a series of social events to complement the walks. As well as the return of a walking-related movie night organised by the film society, this year will see the introduction of a two-day beer festival.
“It’s the first time there has been a beer festival in Boroughbridge – there is one in Great Ouseburn, but it’s a first for Boroughbridge,” said Barry.
“As well as getting people to join the walks and events, we want local organisations and businesses to set up their own things for the same weekend to coincide with the festival. We try to get other things to go along with it, which is something a lot of walking festivals do – they have cookery and other things happening at the same time to widen the scope.”
Organising related events is just one way for other groups to get involved. This year, almost all of the walks will be sponsored – including by some businesses from outside the town.
“The vast majority of festivals charge people to join the walks, but we don’t,” said Barry. “It costs us money to put it on – things like printing, putting up banners and so on. We try to keep the costs down and don’t go in for expensive advertising, but it still costs quite a bit of money.”
As well as benefiting local people, the festival aims to bring more visitors into Boroughbridge and invite tourists to find out more about the local area.
“We get quite a lot of visitors coming to Boroughbridge from the North East and elsewhere, so it’s a question of finding ways to encourage them to stay here rather than going out to other places,” said Barry.
“A couple of the walks will leave from the caravan park, rather than the town centre. We gathered from talking to people on the park that a lot of them get in their cars and go out elsewhere for day trips – they don’t know Boroughbridge that well. We’re leading them into town, pointing out historical features and getting them interested in the local area.”
For full details of this year’s programme, which runs from Friday, April 3 to Monday, April 6, visit www.boroughbridgewalks.org.uk.