The Pateley Bridge Walking Festival is the brainchild of a group of keen volunteers who all live in the locality. Having literally walked up and down dale for many years, we felt it made sense to share the beauty of Nidderdale with other people who take pleasure in exploring on foot and so the idea of a walking festival was born. It only remained to decide on the dates, but even that was soon agreed when we discovered that the week following the annual Nidderdale Show was traditionally Feast Week in Pateley Bridge, a time of celebration and general festivities. That sounded good to us, so we decided on a launch date of 23rd September – the Thursday after the 2010 Show.

We have planned a programme of walks to appeal to people of all abilities. Each one will be led by an experienced walk leader keen to share their local knowledge and, of course, ensure everyone is kept safe throughout. The walks are centred around the historic market town of Pateley Bridge. Here, we are lucky in having a wealth of pubs and teashops which guarantee a warm welcome for walkers, two award-winning butchers (don’t forget to try one of Pateley’s famed pies while you’re here!), a walking shop and plenty of accommodation.

We hope you enjoy perusing the website and we look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to Pateley Bridge in September!