Leave Station car park at 9.15am.  Start at Bainbridge Village Green (GR: SD 934 902, What3Words: ///asterisk.composed.graphic) at 10.00am. 12 Miles. Hard. £7

This walk, last in the programme in 2021, visits both the summit of Addlebrough with its remains of an Iron Age settlement, and also the beautiful Semer Water - one of only two natural lakes in North Yorkshire. On leaving Bainbridge our route climbs onto an escarpment with fine views over the Ure Valley and the site of the Roman fort, before making a steep climb up to the summit of Addlebrough (480m). The descent takes us through the remains of the Iron Age settlement and then along ancient tracks running across attractive heathland where curlew and oystercatchers can usually be seen. We will join the route of Wainwright's “Pennine Journey” as we walk through the limestone scenery to the attractive hamlet of Stalling Busk and on, past the evocative remains of the old church, to the shores of Semer Water. From here the route follows the River Bain back to the starting point.

---

Leave Station car park at 9.15am. Rendezvous at National Park CP in Muker, entrance before the bridge. (GR: SD 911 978, What3Words: ///towel.dished.ringers) at 10.00am. 9 Miles. Moderate. £7

It is claimed that Keld has the highest concentration of waterfalls within a mile of the village of anywhere in England. This walk takes in the half-dozen that are publicly accessible, as well as views of a number of others. Along the way, traditional hay meadows, with their characteristic small barns, give an insight into the agricultural history of Upper Swaledale, while glimpses of lead mining activity speak of its industrial heritage. Leaving the charming village of Muker, we head up over the shoulder of Kisdon Hill, with stunning views of the surrounding fells. Dropping down, we loop around Keld – the highest settlement in Swaledale – to visit each of its waterfalls, culminating in impressive Kisdon Force. A gentle stroll through fields alongside the river brings us back to Muker and the end of our journey through this beautiful and remote corner of the Dales.    

---

Leave Station car park at 9.45am. Rendezvous at Nosterfield Nature Reserve car park (GR: SE 279 795, What3Words: ///divides.commenced.voltage) at 10.30am. An easy nature walk of around 5 Miles. £7

Following an early sell out in 2023, we are repeating this Discovery Walk at the National Nature Reserve at Nosterfield and the nearby reserve at Nosterfield Quarry, still a working Quarry. During a short walk over level ground we will learn about the restoration of former quarries into nature reserves well known locally for their bird life and flowers, learning something of the restoration methods in use to create and improve habitats, including the propagation nursery set up at the site to supply plants for this work.  Your knowledgeable team for the day will help you identify the flora and fauna present. A member of the Nosterfield team will explain their work.   Please bring binoculars if you have them. We aim to spend the morning at Nosterfield Reserve before transferring to Nosterfield Quarry for the afternoon, with a planned finish at around 4pm.

Supported by: The Lower Ure Conservation Trust

---

The Station, Richmond DL10 4LD | 11:00am – midday | £8 | Café/restaurant, bookstall, disabled access.

Peter Barron will talk about his lifetime working on newspapers. He is a very amusing raconteur.

Peter is an award-winning journalist and was the Editor of the Northern Echo for 40 years. He is widely regarded as one of the UK's foremost regional journalists. He is also the author of children’s books and is Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham.

 

---

Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL | 7:30pm | £10 | Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

‘The Lion Who Never Roared’ is the incredible story of Jack Leslie who was the only Black player in the Football League when he was selected for his country in 1925. But Jack was dropped due to the colour of his skin. A statue of Jack was unveiled in 2022 and the FA awarded Jack’s family a posthumous honorary cap, 97 years after his selection.

Matt Tiller tells Jack's story: his childhood in East London during the First World War; the riots that targeted black people soon after; his illustrious career at Plymouth Argyle (137 goals in 400 games); becoming the league’s first Black captain before an eye injury forced his retirement; joining West Ham United in his sixties to shine the boots of World Cup winners like Bobby Moore; and his selection for England and how that accolade was snatched away.

Matt is a radio and TV writer/producer. His first job as a radio reporter covered Leslie’s club, Plymouth Argyle. Matt studied history at Oxford and through research, campaigning and working with Jack’s family his book has come to fruition.

 

---

The Station, Richmond DL10 4LD | 7:30pm | £35 including 2 course meal plus nibbles| bookstall, disabled access.

Guilty or innocent? You decide. Best-selling author Mark Bridgeman will be taking the part of judge, prosecution and defence when he presents a real-life murder trial at this year’s festival - in which you the audience will become the jury!

With a prize for the winner, evidence and exhibits from the case, and a Q&A with the author, this promises to be an event to remember. Silence in Court!

The entry fee includes a two-course meal and nibbles.

Mark has appeared on TV & Radio. His stories have been dramatised and featured in newspaper serial form. Mark’s titles ‘Perthshire’s Pound of Flesh’ and ‘Blood across the Water’ have been among Waterstones Scotland’s non-fiction best sellers for 2022 and 2023.

---

Leave Station car park at 9.15am. Start at pull in parking by the bridge below Marske (GR: NZ 103 004, What3Words: ///beans.overture.besotted) at 10.00am. 9 Miles. Moderate. £7

Our walk takes us into the valley alongside Marske Beck as we make our way to Telfit Farm and Helwith. As we climb onto the moor towards the hamlet of Hurst there are plenty of reminders from the days of the lead mining industry in this area. Our circuit takes us back across Skelton Moor with views that include a distant Richmond Castle. Further grand views open up as we follow the high-level path along Telfit bank and return to our start.

---

Leave Station car park at 9.15am. Start Bowes and Gilmonby Village Hall DL12 9HR (GR: NY 996 135, What3Words: ///lotteries.superbly.years) at 10.00am. 10.5 Miles. Moderate. £7

We explore some of the vast, empty moors in the southwestern corner of County Durham, mainly using sections of both the main route and the Bowes Loop of the Pennine Way. Bowes is a handsome village dominated by the ruins of the 12^th Century Bowes Castle. Also of interest are the remnants of RAF Bowes Moor, near Barnard Castle, which was used in the 1940s to store mustard gas, which was burnt off at the end of World War II. The highlight of the walk is undoubtedly God’s Bridge, a limestone bridge over the River Greta, and the UK’s best example of a natural bridge formed by cave development.

---

Meet outside the Town Hall at 2.15pm. Free, just turn up on the day. Donations to Richmondshire Museum most welcome.

This walk around the central area of Richmond lasts for between one hour and one and a half hours and remains on level ground, as far as is possible in Richmond!

---

Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond DL10 4DW | 7:30pm | £12 from www.georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk | Bar, bookstall, disabled access

1868. Morten, a discharged soldier, lives on the edge of Sweden’s ancient forests.

Suddenly he begins to suffer nightmares and mysterious night visits. He is told he’s plagued by a Mara - a possessed person who oppresses another in their sleep. To free himself, he must discover the Mara’s identity. But who is it?

Entertaining, unsettling and moving, this solo storytelling performance is a whodunit; a dive into the dreamscape of Swedish folklore; a love story and a playful look at our relationship with sleep and what it means to be awake

Dominic’s warm, witty, immersive storytelling style has captivated audiences around the world. His UK venues include the Barbican, National Theatre, British Museum and The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival. His performances have been described as “Compelling, funny and heart-breaking” (The Times) and “Stunning” (Herald & Post).

---

Leave Station car park 9.45am. Parking behind the Wheatsheaf Inn Carperby DL8 4DF (GR:SE 008 898, What3Words: ///mealtime.probing.interacts). Start walk at 10.30am. 6 Miles. Easy/Moderate. £7

An attractive walk in Wensleydale with fine views, a few short climbs and a stop to admire the magnificent Bolton Castle which dominates the skyline and has been owned by the Scrope family continuously for over 600 years. The walk begins at the Wheatsheaf Inn, a traditional Yorkshire pub, chosen by James Herriot as the location for his honeymoon. We climb up onto the limestone ridge with wonderful views across the dale to Penhill, then head to Bolton Castle for a coffee break where you can choose to use the castle café or sit and enjoy your own refreshments outside whilst admiring the view. Then its downhill all the way back to the Wheatsheaf Inn for lunch at around 1.45pm. Walk participants will be contacted prior to the walk for their pub lunch menu choices.

---

The Station, Richmond DL10 4LD | 10:00am – 4:00pm | free entry | Café/restaurant, disabled access.

A variety of new, second-hand, antiquarian and collectable books from expert sellers will be on The Station platform along with The Station’s regular ‘Lost and Found’ book stall. Heaven for book worms and collectors!

---

Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL | 4:30pm | £10 | Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

Ramesses II ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1213 B.C., one of the longest reigns in pharaonic history. He was a cultural innovator, a relentless self-promoter and an astute diplomat. His reputation eclipsed that of all other pharaohs: he was decried in the Bible as a despot, famed in literature as Ozymandias, and lauded by early antiquarians as the Younger Memnon. In this illustrated talk, leading Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson considers Ramesses’ preoccupations and preferences, uncovering the methods and motivations of a megalomaniac ruler, with lessons for our own time. Toby Wilkinson is a prize-winning and best-selling author of 14 books which have been translated into 12 languages. He lives in Suffolk and Swaledale.

---

Richmond Town Hall, DL10 4QL | 7:30pm | £10 | Refreshments, bookstall, disabled access.

 Felix Francis has published over 20 books, both under his father’s name – Dick Francis – and his own. His festival event will cover his life with Dick Francis, his father’s career as a jockey and growing up in what he calls "the greatest fiction factory of the twentieth century". He will cover how he came to take over the writing of the Dick Francis novels of which he has published 18. He now publishes under his own name and his book 'Hands Down' (2022) was set in North Yorkshire. Francis will talk about how he researches and develops the characters and plot of a novel based around horse-racing. He will finish by talking about his latest book ‘Syndicate’ which is published just days before this event!

---