A POPULAR walking festival is strolling back into the calendar next month.

Stonehouse Walking Festival returns from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, September 15 with a wide variety of guided walks for all ages and abilities – and it’s free!

On offer are short walks and strolls plus day-long hikes.

The festival will include walks highlighting the history of the Stroudwater canal and the on-going project to restore the missing mile to Saul.

There will even be a boat trip suitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs.

In addition there will be walks with added special interests including family fun, history, canal and trees.

Stonehouse is an ideal base for exploring this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Pathways including the Cotswold Way lead in all directions across fields, through woodlands, along canal, river and rail trails and onto rolling countryside, hills and valleys.

Panoramic views can be enjoyed all around including across to the Severn valley and beyond.

A festival spokesperson said: “It’s a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and to find out more about Stonehouse and its beautiful surroundings.

“Did you know that Stonehouse was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086?

“The manor vineyard was the only one recorded in Gloucestershire at the time.

“An impressive police station, built in 1890, still stands proudly in the town centre and three historic coaching inns remain.

"Join us on a tour to find out more about the town’s history with us." 

For a schedule and full details, visit the festival’s website at stonehousewalks.co.uk