Hikers lace up for return of week‑long walking festival celebrating Shropshire's countryside and history
And they’re off! The Wellington Walking festival has returned to Shropshire’s paths
Shropshire’s ramblers and amblers have set off on the first hike of the week-long 2026 Wellington Walking Festival.
The Wellington Walking Festival stepped out across Shropshire this morning (September 14) as the much‑loved event returned for its 16th year.
The festival, which runs until September 21, brings a week of guided walks, heritage tours and outdoor activities which celebrate the county’s landscapes and history.
Last year festival-goers collectively walked about 2,935 miles - the approximate distance from Wellington to central Uzbekistan.
The 2026 programme is one of the festival’s biggest yet, with 37 organised walks and events taking place in and around Wellington and the wider Shropshire countryside.
Events range from short strolls - such as the one- to two-mile ‘walk and talk’ tour of 18th-century Wellington - to a strenuous, 10-mile walk around the four hills of the Wrekin Forest using less well-known paths.
The festival also features a Nordic walking class in Apley Woods, a free guided tour of Sunnycroft and a vineyard tour at Rodington.
Wellington earned its Walkers Are Welcome status in 2010, joining a national network of towns committed to supporting walking tourism.
The festival has run every year since - even in 2020, when organisers adapted the programme to socially distanced, mask‑friendly routes to keep the tradition alive.
Most events require advance booking, and organisers expect high demand for the most popular events.
The full programme is available at wellingtonwalkersarewelcome.org.uk, where visitors can secure places on individual events.
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