About the Festival
Welcome to our walking festival website, we hope you find all the information you need within it. We offer over 60 free walks in the beautiful surroundings of this unique UNESCO World Heritage site, traditionally starting on the first Saturday of the May Day Bank Holiday. Come and see the Iron Bridge in all its splendour and whether you join us for one walk or 9 walks, walking across it will always be a special moment.
The Ironbridge Walking Festival Experience
We like to think we offer more than just walks, we offer an experience which incudes
- A warm and friendly welcome
- Over 60 free walks from 3 to 21 (ish) miles over a nine-day period
- Morning, afternoon and evening walks
- Walks up to 10 miles where children and young people aged under 18 are welcome unless otherwise stated, if accompanied by an adult with parental responsibility. For longer distances, please contact us to discuss.
- Dog friendly walks
- Themed walks exploring some of the features of the industrial landscape and history of the Gorge
- Friendly and experienced walk leaders who are passionate about walking and who love the area.
- Medals for completing 25, 50, 75 or 100 miles, over 3 or more walks, during the 9 days.
- Walks are planned so that you can achieve any of the distance medals over the two weekends of the Festival, including Bank Holiday Monday.
-The Cartman Challenge Medal for those completing 150 miles or over during the Festival.
- An opportunity to experience the beautiful landscape of the Gorge, learn about its industrial heritage and even climb The Wrekin, one of our famous Shropshire landmarks which offers a bird’s eye view of the Gorge.
- A certificate for every walker and a medals ceremony on the last day of the Festival at the All Nations Inn from 4.30pm.
- If you can’t collect your medal on the last day, they will be available for collection from the All Nations after the event.
- For our walkers, who aren’t local to Shropshire, we can post them out, just contact us via email with your full address. A small donation would be appreciated to cover postal costs which you can do below via bank transfer or give your donation to one of our walk leaders who will have collection tins available.
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Whether you are joining us for the first time or are one of our regular walkers, we look forward to seeing you at the Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival and hope you enjoy the experience.
Enjoy Your Walks and Staying Safe
We offer a great range of walks in terms of distance, terrain, pace, ascent and interest.
Our walk descriptions and grading system are designed to help you make the right choices for you.
Your safety is important to us and to ensure that you have the most enjoyable experience on our walks, please take note of the following guidance. Some walks will have more specific guidance, please check the Eventbrite descriptions.
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- Please take personal responsibility for ensuring that you are physically fit enough to take part in the walks that you have selected and that you have appropriate clothing and equipment
- For all walks, walking boots/shoes are essential (no trainers please)
- Long trousers are advisable, due to overgrown, narrow footpaths
- Carry both sun protection and wet weather protection
- Carry sufficient water for the length of the walk
- Take high energy snacks or, for longer walks, more substantial meals
- In the interest of the safety of all our walkers, walk leaders will exercise their right to refuse to take walkers who are ill-equipped.
Timing - please arrive at the meeting point at least 10 minutes before the start of each walk. Walks will commence at the given time, and unfortunately, we are unable to wait for any late arrivals.
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Children and young people aged under 18 are welcome on most of our walks up to an including 10 miles, but must be accompanied by an adult with parental responsibility. There may be some restrictions on some walks and this will be specified on the individual walk information. We recognise that in exceptional cases, young people aged under 18 may wish to complete distances over 10 miles and this will be considered by the walk leader on an individual basis. Please contact us to discuss.
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Dogs - Due to the amount of livestock in the Gorge and surrounding areas dogs are NOT permitted on walks unless specifically stated that they are dog friendly. The walk leader may restrict the number at the start of the walk, if they consider it to be appropriate for the safety of other walkers.
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Parking - most car parks in the area are now either Pay and Display or ANPR charged. It is your responsibility to check your car park and pay as appropriate. The Sat Nav details listed for each walk are approximate; please ensure you leave enough time to locate suitable parking before the start of your walk.
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Disclaimer: The organisers give no warranties, either express or implied, regarding the availability, suitability or safety of the walks described on this website. Participation in the walks will be entirely at your own risk.