The National Forest Walking Festival 2024

With over 90 walks to choose from, ranging from 1 mile to 18 miles you are sure to find something that suits you in our annual walking programme – now in its 15th year.

Taking place from 18th to 30th May you will be able to explore the rich and varied heritage of the National Forest.

May is an excellent time of year to be outdoors. From the drama of spring blossom, to the heady scent of bluebells carpeting ancient woods, you will also have the chance to see wildlife in abundance.

Routed in the heart of the country, the National Forest spans 200 square miles of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, linking the two ancient forests of Charnwood and Needwood.

At the very heart of the National Forest the story is one of huge landscape-scale transformation; from black coalfields and grey clay pits to green canopies and wildlife rich habitats.

Beginning in 1991, the idea behind the National Forest was radical: to create and manage the first forest at scale in England for 1,000 years. It is a ‘forest’ in the old sense of the word: not wall to wall trees but a distinctly wooded landscape that provides a setting within which people live, work and learn.

Recognised as one of the boldest environmentally-led regeneration initiatives in the country, it is transforming a post-industrial landscape. Three decades of forest creation in this ordinary part of the Midlands demonstrates how trees can transform landscapes, communities and the economy. Nearly 10 million trees have been planted in an area that was previously one of the least wooded parts of the country.

Are you ready:

Come along and explore the transformation on our guided walks. The National Forest Walking Festival Guide is now available to download 2024 Walking Festival Programme, or read through at the bottom of this page, or to pick up from South Derbyshire Visitor Information Centre.