Action and adventure at Lake District mountain festival

One of Britain’s most action packed outdoor festivals will take place in the Lake District from the 14th to the 18th of May 2008. The Cumberland Ale Keswick Mountain Festival will include over 100 activities such as walking, climbing, mountain biking and canoeing.

Visitors will have the chance to try something new such as slacklining, an exciting sport that is similar to tightrope walking.

If walking along a rope above the ground sounds a little too challenging you can also join diners for a lunch on top of one of England’s highest mountains, learn to navigate using GPS technology, have a go at dry stone walling or do some Nordic walking.

This year the festival has a much bigger focus on activities for families, including a treasure hunt on bikes, archery, kayaking, orienteering and family climbing days.

For those who prefer to watch other people putting in all the effort there will be an exciting new triathlon, two championship mountain bike orienteering events and a fell race.

Another new feature for the 2008 festival will be a Bike Village where visitors can watch performances by expert stunt riders, learn some impressive skills that they can have a go at themselves and test some of the latest bikes.

During the festival the Theatre by the Lake will play host to a series of inspiring talks on adventures in the great outdoors. Speakers include Julia Bradbury, who presents the Wainwright Walks series on the BBC, and mountaineers Sir Chris Bonington, Doug Scott and Alan Hinkes.

Tickets for the talks are on sale from the Theatre by the Lake.

Sir Chris Bonington, the Patron of the Cumberland Ale Keswick Mountain Festival, says: “Without doubt the Keswick area is THE centre for the outdoor enthusiast, there is so much that you can do - wonderful hill walking, superb rock climbing, biking. I don’t think there is anywhere better in the British Isles for the outdoor person to enjoy such an extensive range of activities!”

A full programme of activities can be found at Keswickmountainfestival.co.uk.