Purbeck WALX Festival – Swanage Events

🗓️ Monday 11^th – Sunday 17^th September 2023

Purbeck WALX is an annual three-day walking festival held on the beautiful Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, with its base in the historic village of Corfe Castle.

There’s a range of walks available to suit all fitness levels and abilities, as well as a chance to try new techniques, such as Nordic Walking with poles.

Exercise body and mind on a Wellness Walk, with fully-trained instructors, or go for a ‘Total Body WALX’ to combine strength and stamina training into your everyday rambles.

Join a friendly walking group in discovering some of Dorset’s best-loved rural gems, such as Agglestone Rock, Chapman’s Pool, Old Harry Rocks and Brownsea Island.

There’s something for everyone at the Purbeck WALX Festival, with its vast range of themed walks – from wildlife to history, and from walking in the steps of smugglers to walking with alpacas!

Buy a festival pass, drop in to your favourites, or simply head along to the festival hub for a great day out.

The walks

You can choose from a variety of walks across the three days, from the two ‘big ones’ – a 16-mile and 27-mile challenge – to shorter strolls at a gentle pace.

All walks will take you through some of Purbeck’s most iconic landscapes, such as Kimmeridge, Corfe Castle and Durdle Door.

There are also unique experiences, including walking with alpacas, exploring cider farms, and walks that incorporate visits to historic landmarks such as Tudor manor house Athlehampton and the Victorian ‘Secret Garden’ at Carey.

For the full event programme and schedule of daily walks visit the festival website: walx.co.uk/groups/purbeck-walx-festival/

Workshops & entertainment

As well as the wide range of walking activities available, there’s also the chance to try out something completely new or learn a new skill at one of the Purbeck WALX workshops, and a social wind-down in the evenings at the festival hub in Corfe Castle.

Workshops

Instructors come from all over the UK to inspire and educate participants in all things walking.

All the main presentations and workshops are held at the festival hub in Corfe Castle village.

Workshops are a great way to meet like-minded people and get fully immersed in the holistic walking experience – learn about walking for rehabilitation; get tips on improving your hill walking; visit an invaluable life-saving masterclass; and learn all about Nordic Walking techniques.

Food & entertainment

You’ll find refreshment and retail stalls at the festival hub, which is just a short stroll from the castle car park, Corfe Castle village and the Swanage Railway, meaning you can make use of both festival and village amenities, or even hop on the train to visit Swanage.

On the Friday at the hub there’ll be a relaxed campfire BBQ supper to stoke the engines for the next day, and on the Saturday evening enjoy a knees-up with live music.

The popular hog-roast and bar will be returning, along with a range of vegetarian & vegan options.

Festival passes & contact

Explore the range of pass options and find full event information on the festival website.

Non-walking visitors can also pay a small fee to take part in the festival, which will give you access to the festival hub activities and social events.