RAMBLERS of all ages and abilities will find plenty to interest them in this year's Malvern Walking Festival.

The programme for the 2018, which has just been issued, contains a rich variety and range of walks, from short local strolls through to long challenging walks for the very fit and adventurous.

The festival, now in its 17th year, has 51 walks in its programme, three of them taking place over several days.

These include the six-day discovery trail, which explores the countryside around Ludlow, the Clee Hills, Wenlock Edge, Church Stretton, the Long Mynd, Clun and Knighton.

There are also two-three-day walks, one based on the Three Choirs Way, the other taking the southern part of the Geopark Way from Gloucester Cathedral to Malvern.

For the very fit and energetic, there is the 31-mile Worcestershire Way in a Day challenge and the strenuous Malvern Hills End to End and Back.

The festival offers a rich variety of themes, including history, geology, nature, music and literature as well as notable people, buildings and events associated with the area. Two walks again feature Madresfield Court and its gardens.

New themed walks this year include farming, the history and legacy of quarrying, trees and a trail from the Elgar birthplace museum.

Most of the walks are centred around Malvern and the hills, but some venture further afield, including to the Bromyard Downs, the Teme Valley and the Croome estate.

A festival spokesman said: "We are indebted to our great team of walks leaders, all experienced volunteers, who will love to share their enthusiasm and local knowledge."

To find out more and to book places on the walks, visit malvernwalking.uk. The website gives full details of all the walks, including their distance and how strenuous there are, as well as offering advice for the aspiring walker.