New Dales festival to focus on caving and walking

3:50pm Wednesday 9th February 2011

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    A NEW festival is being planned to celebrate caving and walking in the Yorkshire Dales.

    And organisers of the inaugural Overground Underground Festival in Ingleton believe it could grow to be as big as the Kendal Mountain Festival – which pulls in thousands of outdoor lovers to South
    Lakeland.

    Debby Kuhlmann is hoping visitors of all ages will converge on the area over the Bank Holiday weekend of May 27 to 30.

    If the trial event is a success it could be even extended to last for a full week, she said.

    Climbing taster ses-sions, archaeology, rescue demonstrations, caving, expert talks and guided walks are some of the activities enthusiasts can look forward to.

    “It seems to be generating quite a lot of interest and I’m really excited about it,” said Ms Kuhlmann.

    “I drove past the Settle Cycling Festival about a year and a half ago, and I was wondering what we could do in Ingleton that would be unique to the area. That’s when I thought about the caving and
    walking we have here.

    “It is a great oppor-tunity for children and other people to do things which might be a bit different and it’s all about raising the profile of the area.”

    Gareth Williams, owner of Ingleton walking firm Striding Ahead, said: “This event will be a fantastic opportunity to attract people to the area, benefiting local businesses and the community as a
    whole, as well as giving locals an insight into the surrounding area. I believe it will be a great success and become an annual event.”

    Mat Cooper, who owns the Wheatsheaf Hotel in High Street, Ingleton, with his wife Alex, aims to put on a barbecue and entertainment when the spectacular rolls into the village.

    “It will benefit the village and businesses and hopefully increase publicity.”

    A website has been set up with detailed of the plan. Visit www.ingletonover-groundunderground.com.

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