FARNHAM Town Council’s first Walking Festival, has been declared a success with more than 435 people taking part.

The week-long festival, devised by Chris Shepheard, included more than 30 walks ranging from 1.5 miles to 14 miles.

The programme included walks for people of all abilities plus several that were wheelchair and pushchair friendly.

Each walk was led by a volunteer who was an expert or enthusiast and it was their knowledge that enabled walkers to see many of the less well-known parts of Farnham for the first time. Breaking Free, in The Borough were booking partners for the event.

Jill Hargreaves, he town council’s lead member for tourism and events, said: “The Walking Festival was all about discovering Farnham and its surrounding villages. Our volunteer walk leaders were generous with both their time and their knowledge.

“The walks covered a variety of themes including how Rowledge has evolved from being an early encroachment on common land to the popular village it is today and an insight in the history, use and technology of Farnham mills along the River Wey.

“We were blessed with a week of glorious weather which I am sure added to people’s enjoyment of the walks. We have received some very positive feedback about the festival and I, for one, am pleased to make it an annual feature in our events calendar.”

As home to the start of the North Downs Way, one of the walks was a 12-mile trek from Farnham to Guildford, which was completed by the Mayor of Farnham, Mike Hodge.

In addition to walks concerning the history of Farnham, there were also routes that aimed to connect walkers with nature. The Sacred Walk was described as being peaceful and contemplative while others introduced walkers to different species of trees, birds and wildlife that can be enjoyed in the south west corner of Surrey.

One participant said: “I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the walk. The level of knowledge and information the leader has is wonderful - I was enthralled by the history on my doorstep”

Another walker, Clare Kearney, added: “I met some lovely people, had the most interesting afternoon, learnt so much about the area and discovered places I did not know. I would like to thank everyone who was involved in organising this event. I very much hope that Farnham Walking Festival will become an annual event. My dog enjoyed the walk and the company too.”

Anybody who wishes to explore more of Farnham on foot can download a series of self-guided trails from Farnham Town Council’s website which can be found at www.farnham.gov.uk.