One of the UK’s best loved outdoor events is preparing to bring the 2021 summer festival season to a close in style.
Keswick Mountain Festival will welcome thousands of visitors to the town this weekend with its mix of live entertainment, sporting events, outdoor adventures, high profile speakers, taster activities, exhibitor stands and camping for all the family.
The shore of Derwentwater is the main base for the event, with the Lakeland fells providing a stunning backdrop.
Presented by Land Rover, the 14th Keswick Mountain Festival (KMF) will deliver another packed programme, with a huge range of activities and attractions.
Places for events are limited, but tickets/entries are still available to book via www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk
New for 2021 is the KMF Accessibility Zone, which is designed to make the festival more welcoming to visitors with disabilities.
Supported by United Utilities and developed in partnership with not-for-profit company Experience Community, the zone will include special features, exhibitors and activities.
It is located just inside the festival village, on the flattest part of that area, and facilities include a ‘Mobiloo’ and a disabled viewing area close to the main stage.
The festival village on the National Trust’s Crow Park is at the heart of the event and, over the course of the three days, it will host a wide variety of taster activities for all of the family, including slack lining, BMX displays, climbing, Segways, orienteering and adapted bike rides.
The village will also be the setting for live music.
Space, ‘90s chart regulars from Liverpool, will deliver a headline set tonigt after Republica, Holy Moly and the Crackers and SWJ Group entertain crowds with an eclectic mix of alternative rock, folk and funk.
The village will host a long list of exhibitors including the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and festival partners Land Rover, plus a wide range of food and drink outlets.
Sporting events will start and finish in the village, providing a great atmosphere for competitors and spectators.
The village is free for everyone to enter during the daytime, allowing anyone to soak up the atmosphere. Visitors with festival wristbands can access most of the activities in the village free-of-charge.
The festival kicked off from 4pm yesterday with the town trials – a series of fun obstacle races in the Market Square.
Today’s speakers and film schedule will focus on all things Alfred Wainwright and his 214 peaks.
Guests will hear from Richard Else, author of Wainwright Revealed and producer of Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walks and Ambleside vet Sabrina Verjee, who this year recorded the fastest known time for a continuous round of the Wainwrights.
Today also sees a new event called Dexshell Hell in the Fells, a 67km bike ride with a cumulative ascent of 2,032 metres that takes riders around the flanks of Skiddaw, the shores of Bassenthwaite and the trails of Whinlatter Forest.
There will also be a 25km trail race taking runners around Derwentwater and the Borrowdale and Watendlath valleys, a sprint triathlon a 70km Back O’Skiddaw cycling sportive and the Hanwag 3 Peaks Challenge 18-mile walk taking in the summits of Catbells, Walla Crag and Latrigg.
To find out more, visit www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk
