Save the Date! High Weald Walking Festival 2026
27 January 2026
This year’s High Weald Walking Festival will run from 12-20 September 2026.
Now in its 9th year, the festival is a chance to explore the stunning landscape, discover the High Weald’s rich history and admire its breath-taking views. The festival is free, and open to walkers of all levels.
The High Weald is a walker’s paradise. Its heavily wooded landscape boasts over 2,500km of public rights of way that journey through great estates, ancient forests, iconic hop gardens and scattered ridge-top villages, and its steep climbs reward walkers with breathtaking views across the valleys and beyond.
There are festival walks for every level of walker, whether you’re a seasoned long-distance hiker looking for a new challenge, you prefer a gentle wellbeing stroll, or you want to learn more about local habitats. Each walk is led by experienced, knowledgeable guides who are dedicated to showing off the best of the High Weald.
“We founded the Walking Festival in 2018 because we wanted more people to enjoy the beauty and diversity of the High Weald National Landscape. The festival has grown year-on-year, attracting visitors from across the UK and abroad. We hope even more walkers can join us in 2026 and discover something new about this stunning historic landscape.” – Lucy Bowyer, Community Engagement Officer, High Weald team
The High Weald Walking Festival is designed for everyone. There will be circular walks from train stations, accessible walks and family-focused walks as well as longer walks for keen ramblers. Alongside accompanied walks there will be a range of downloadable self-guided walks on the festival website, allowing people to explore the High Weald at their own pace.
To find out how to get involved, visit www.highwealdwalks.org and sign up to the mailing list to receive all the latest updates as they go live. For most walks you can turn up on the day, but please check as some will require booking via the website.
The High Weald Walking Festival is a collaboration between the High Weald National Landscape Partnership and several local branches of the Ramblers: Battle Ramblers, High Weald Walkers, Mid Sussex Ramblers and Rother Ramblers.
