Fell dog Max and his young sidekick Paddy have become Facebook and internet celebrities promoting the fantastic experience of walking in the Lake District.
The pair of springer spaniels will join The Great Ambleside Dog Walk, sponsored by Páramo, just one of the attractions of the town’s second Festival of the Fells, which takes place from Thursday September 21 – Sunday September 24.
The walk, from 11am – 1pm on Saturday 23 September in Rothay Park, aims to raise money for the charity Freedom Wizard, which helps wheelchair users enjoy the great outdoors. It will also mark the official launch of the Ambleside Dog Friendly Scheme, which will encourage local businesses to show they are dog-friendly by putting an eye-catching sticker in their windows.
Freedom Wizard will be staging wheelchair test drives at the festival, which this year is bigger and better than ever with extra speakers and more events than the inaugural event in 2016.
The line-up of speakers includes mountaineers Alan Hinkes and Simon Yates, Lakes-based film-maker Terry Abraham, environmental photographer Ashley Cooper, ‘The Wainwrights in Colour’ author Andy Beck, polar explorer Craig Mathieson, Fellranger author Mark Richards, mines expert Mark Hatton, fell warden Sarah Anderson and legendary fell runner Wendy Dodds.
Activities on offer include guided walks, guided wild swims, ghyll scrambling, abseiling, Nordic walking and electric biking. There will be a Trail Race, craft fair, an open-air food market, a mountain cinema and much more, including a repeat of last year’s popular Duck Race and, for three days of the festival, the charity walking marathon Triple Spine Lakeland Challenge will criss-cross the area. There will also be a comedy night and two free town-centre concerts featuring Room Full of Mirrors, Scrogan’s Run, The Mojo Band and Phil Saunders & Friend.
The Festival is organised by Ambleside Together whose ‘Love Ambleside’ campaign was launched last year. Páramo’s Ambleside Shop-in-Shop, Cunningham’s, are involved in organising the Festival and will tie in a store event that weekend with plenty of instore activities and added fun for all shoppers!
For festival details go to www.festivalofthefells.uk
