WALKING boots are set to be laced up in their droves this weekend as a walking festival comes to a South Lakes town.

Ten days of hill walking, historical trails and family fun will start this Saturday on the opening weekend of Ulverston WalkFest.

Returning for its 18th year, the festival aims to be more inclusive than ever, with dozens of walks on offer for walkers of all shapes, sizes and ages.

Stan Aspinall, WalkFest committee member, said: "We're trying to mix things up a little bit, we wanted to make people appreciate their local area."

What this means is that alongside the traditional walks always put on, there is a greater diversity of events on this year's programme.

Mr Aspinall: "On the Sunday we've got a historic Ulverston walk, looking at the archaeology of the town during the medieval period.

"If you look at the programme you should be able to ease yourself in with shorter walks. But but the end of the 10 days you may want to try one of the longer walks."

There will be 32 walks and activities to enjoy during the course of the festival. One of those which is expected to attract a lot of interest is the Alpaca Encounter, where families can meet and feed some of the area's more unusual residents.

One of the best features of the festival, says Mr Aspinall, is the knowledge of the walk leaders. He said: "We've refined our offerings, which gives me great confidence in all the leaders of the walks. Many of them have spent a lifetime interested in the subjects they talk about, giving people a chance to pass on knowledge.

As with everything in the South Lakes, the festival will hinge on the weather. However, with the weather set to be dry on Saturday, Mr Aspinall is confident the opening weekend will be a success.

To find out more about WalkFest, visit their website at www.ulverstonwalkfest.co.uk.

Struggling to pick out walks to join, here are a few of our top choices for the festival.