Final prep for walking festival

PREPARATIONS for the 22nd Newton Stewart Walking Festival are in their final stages, with the event only a month away.

The seven day event, takes place from May 8-14 and the organisers have put together another exciting programme of over 30 guided walks and evening events to showcase the wild hills, rugged coastline magical woodlands and rolling countryside of Galloway.

Joan Mitchell, chair of the volunteer committee who organise the festival, said: “The hill ranges of Galloway - the Awfu’Hand, the Minnigaff Hills, and the Rhinns of Kells - provide a special experience of solitude and wildness but with few well-trodden paths they are challenging to access.

“By using experienced leaders from Galloway Mountain Rescue Team and laying on transport, the Walking Festival provides a unique opportunity to join a small group of walkers to explore our Galloway heartlands, the core of Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere.”