Northumberland County Council has given a £500 cash injection to support the upcoming Berwick Waking Festival.

The organisers of the event, which takes place between May 28th and 30th, said the money will be used to develop and promote the occasion.

There are a number of walking routes in and around the Berwick area and the aim of the festival is to highlight these and the wonderful country and coastal scenery the region has to offer.

Rob Woods, the event’s lead officer, said there will be something for everyone to enjoy over the weekend.

"We aim to provide walks to accommodate all abilities and hope to attract plenty of local people and visitors along to take in some of Berwick’s finest scenery," he added.

Augmentra, the company which made the ViewRanger mobile phone application which provides instant walking route information, has launched a new website listing the various walking festivals taking place this year.

Augmentra, the firm behind the ViewRanger mobile phone application which provides instant walking route information, has launched a new website listing the various walking festivals taking place this year.

The company has listed a total of 18 events up to October, including the Caithness and Sutherland, the Isle of Wight and the National Forest walking festivals.

Craig Wareham, co-founder and chief executive of Augmentra, told Business Weekly that there are many walking routes for people of all abilities to enjoy and added that he hopes to expand the company’s range of services for walking enthusiasts.

"Walking is very sociable and these guided routes make it easy for people to enjoy some of the wilder parts of the countryside. In addition to publishing these dates, we are also talking to festival organisers about ways of capturing these routes to create a library of walks that would be accessible from our website," he added.

Augmentra recently released its ViewRanger application which allows those enjoying walks in Snowdonia and other parts of the country to read maps, locate their position and identify various features of the landscape such as lakes and mountains.

A celebrated adventurer, who scaled Mt Everest at the age of 63, has kicked-off the first annual Huntly walking festival.

Hamish Fulton led a two-hour co-ordinated stroll around the Aberdeenshire town on Saturday (April 17th) as part of the event, which is designed to promote the town as a base for walking holidays, the Press and Journal reported.

Mr Fulton, who during his five-decade career has walked for a week without sleep, will complete a 21-day solo walk across the Cairngorms over the next couple of weeks.

He described the region as a “special place” and revealed that he will not walk a determined route because “that’s not like normal life”.

According to the newspaper, he said: “It’s a bit of a treasure within the totality of the British Isles, being the largest, highest piece of ground.

“I’ve done quite a few walks in the Cairngorms, something like 15 seven-day walks, and one two-week walk, so the next one up is 21 days.”

Earlier this month, Moira Halstead, spokeswoman at Walking for Health, claimed that the activity is a fun and convenient way to exercise and enjoy the countryside.