Greater Manchester walking festival to encourage active travel

Nearly 400 guided walks are to take place across Greater Manchester in May as part of a festival to encourage people to make journeys on foot and explore the region.

The event, organised by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), will offers free guided walks exploring local towns, cities, countryside, canals, riversides and parks across the conurbation.

The festival has the support of several local walking groups and charities. Walks cater for all abilities and interests, including a family story ramble through the Wigan countryside and a more challenging evening trek around Blackstone Edge.

Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, Chris Boardman MBE, says: “Since it first ran in 2015, more and more people annually have been using the Greater Manchester Walking Festival as the inspiration to start leading a more active life; to get their kids spending more time outdoors; to meet up with old friends and, in many cases, to make new ones. We sometimes forget just how pleasurable getting around on foot can be – now is the time to truly embrace it and form new habits.”

Funded by the Department for Transport, the Greater Manchester Walking Festival is part of TfGM’s Walking Works project, encouraging people to make a walk part of their daily routine.

Copies of the festival brochure can be ordered by emailing walking.works@tfgm.com