Autumn Footprints Walking Festival: Free in Amber Valley

demoduck.co.uk editorial team 2026-09-07 17:28 3 min read

Group of hikers walking along a scenic path in the English countryside.

The Autumn Footprints Walking Festival runs from 12 to 27 September across various locations in Amber Valley, Derbyshire. The programme begins at 14:45 on 12 September and is open to walkers of all abilities. Every walk is free, but advance booking is essential.

The 16-day festival combines guided walks with informative talks, using Amber Valley’s rivers, canals, countryside, towns and villages to explore the area’s natural and industrial landscape. Visit Peak District and Derbyshire lists the event as suitable for families and groups as well as individual walkers.

Sixteen days of walks across Amber Valley

Rather than taking place at one venue, Autumn Footprints is spread across various locations in Amber Valley. Its routes move through open countryside and populated areas, with some following rivers and canals and others passing through local towns and villages.

Autumn Footprints Walking Festival: Free in Amber Valley

The setting gives the programme a broad focus. Walks cover heritage, natural history and wildlife, while the September dates place the festival during the changing colours of autumn. The source describes the surrounding Derbyshire landscape as undulating, with wide views and a mixture of natural scenery and industrial heritage.

Knowledgeable local volunteers and staff lead the walks. Their role is to introduce participants to the places covered by each route and highlight features that might otherwise be missed, from wildlife and landscape details to the history of the area.

A programme designed for different abilities

The festival is intended for novice and experienced walkers, with individual walk descriptions providing the details needed to choose between activities. Families and organised groups are also identified as suitable audiences.

The programme is not limited to long countryside outings. Its combination of riverside, canal-side, rural and town-based routes means the character of each walk may differ considerably. Participants should therefore consult the description for their chosen walk before booking rather than assuming that every route has the same setting or demands.

The event listing also points readers who want further options towards a separate collection of walking leaflets. These additional routes sit outside the main guided festival programme.

Free entry, but every walk must be booked

All festival walks are free of charge. Parking may carry a fee for some individual walks, and the relevant symbols in each walk description indicate where charges may apply.

Booking is compulsory for every guided walk. There is no single booking method stated for the whole festival: instructions are provided within each individual walk description. The source does not list general accessibility arrangements, a central street address or a closing time, so participants will need to use the selected walk’s listing for its confirmed meeting and booking details.

The practical first step is to choose a walk from the Autumn Footprints programme, check its route information and any parking symbol, then follow the booking instructions included in that walk’s description.

Source: Visit Peak District and Derbyshire Events

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The dates, locations, cost and booking requirement were checked against the published event listing.

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