Full Transcript for Walking Post podcast 56: Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site and Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival

00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:48.720 and that is as a part of the UNESCO UK Industrial 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:53.660 Heritage Trail. And there are now 22 places on 00:04:53.660 --> 00:04:56.560 that trail. And as if that's not enough, there 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:59.779 is also an Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival. 00:04:59.959 --> 00:05:03.019 So we're going to talk about them both in a conversation 00:05:03.019 --> 00:05:06.600 with Laura Files, Telford and Recon Council's 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:10.300 World Heritage Site Coordinator, and Lynn Turner, 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.660 chair of the Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:16.699 All right, so I guess we will start with Laura. 00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:19.560 I wonder, could you tell me what the Ironbridge 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:23.620 Gorge Heritage Site is and where it is? The Ironbridge 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:27.040 Gorge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it's 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:30.319 situated in both Talpidham, Reakin and Shropshire 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:33.360 and it's widely recognised as the cradle of the 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:36.060 Industrial Revolution in the new ways of producing 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:39.519 iron and organising industrial processes which 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:42.060 then helped to shape the modern world. So that's 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:44.339 why it's quite important for us to protect now 00:05:44.339 --> 00:05:46.819 because it's really considered the birthplace 00:05:46.819 --> 00:05:51.800 of that industrial revolution. Everybody likes 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:55.459 the nature and scenery and clifftops and does 00:05:55.459 --> 00:05:59.120 the industrial heritage get a bit lost? I think 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.139 we're very fortunate in our area and that there 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:05.360 is a very strong appreciation from the local 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:08.670 communities. that industrial heritage. A lot 00:06:08.670 --> 00:06:11.610 of the communities are quite deeply rooted and 00:06:11.610 --> 00:06:14.629 go back for generations. Like many of the industrial 00:06:14.629 --> 00:06:17.470 towns, we have that strong community spirit. 00:06:17.550 --> 00:06:21.170 So they really appreciate and value the industrial 00:06:21.170 --> 00:06:23.329 heritage that's been passed through the generations. 00:06:23.649 --> 00:06:26.370 And so that is really our big selling point is 00:06:26.370 --> 00:06:28.949 that we have these industrial visitor attractions 00:06:28.949 --> 00:06:32.870 and sort of all of this combined heritage across 00:06:32.870 --> 00:06:35.610 the site. And the site's quite big, isn't it? 00:06:35.670 --> 00:06:39.069 It's not just the bridge. No, so we've got 550 00:06:39.069 --> 00:06:42.129 hectares in total in our World Heritage Site, 00:06:42.250 --> 00:06:44.769 and it actually spans five different communities. 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:49.110 So we have Jackfield and Colport, and they themselves 00:06:49.110 -->

00:06:52.850 have tile museums and China museums. And then 00:06:52.850 --> 00:06:55.569 we have Madeley, which is one of the oldest communities, 00:06:55.850 --> 00:06:58.610 and that's more of an urban setting, whereas 00:06:58.610 --> 00:07:01.689 then you have Ironbridge itself. where the bridge 00:07:01.689 --> 00:07:05.430 was built to cross the river, and Colebrookdale 00:07:05.430 --> 00:07:07.310 as well, which is where a lot of our foundries 00:07:07.310 --> 00:07:09.810 are. So we're spread across quite a large site 00:07:09.810 --> 00:07:13.029 here. And how does that work as a visitor attraction? 00:07:13.449 --> 00:07:16.949 Is it people just show up and walk around? Yeah, 00:07:16.990 --> 00:07:19.269 you can get here in a variety of different ways. 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:22.800 When you land at the site, the whole World Heritage 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:25.879 Site is open throughout the year. So a lot of 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:28.680 people will arrive and come to take a look at 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:30.939 the bridge and have a wander through Ironbridge 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:35.220 town. But also we've got other attractions. So 00:07:35.220 --> 00:07:37.519 the National Trust have just taken over ownership 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:40.259 of a lot of our museums. So those have set opening 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:42.839 times through the year that you can then go to 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:45.379 understand more about our heritage and our history. 00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:48.139 Or equally, if you're not so heritage or history 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:50.800 inclined, you can just rock up and go for a lovely 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:53.160 walk and wander around. We've got some beautiful 00:07:53.160 --> 00:07:55.300 walking trails as well throughout the gorge. 00:07:55.379 --> 00:07:57.579 So there's a lot for everyone here. We're very 00:07:57.579 --> 00:08:02.100 fortunate. How do people get there? In Telford 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:03.939 and Shropshire, we're often seen as the gateway 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:05.740 across to Wales. So we have a lot of passing 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:09.000 traffic anyway from the Midlands. But we're also 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:12.819 on a direct rail line from Birmingham and Wolverhampton. 00:08:13.310 --> 00:08:15.389 And then from there, you can either get a bus 00:08:15.389 --> 00:08:18.870 down from our closest train station in Telford 00:08:18.870 --> 00:08:21.610 down into the Ironbridge. Or if you're more active, 00:08:21.889 --> 00:08:24.430 you can walk down or cycle down. We've got a 00:08:24.430 --> 00:08:27.009 designated cycle route called the Silken Way 00:08:27.009 --> 00:08:30.269 in which people can walk or cycle from the town 00:08:30.269 --> 00:08:32.950 centre down into Ironbridge and into this more 00:08:32.950 --> 00:08:36.690 rural area. Because it's open and people can 00:08:36.690 --> 00:08:40.629 just walk around, are you able to estimate visitor 00:08:40.629 --> 00:08:43.799 numbers and where people visit from? So it is 00:08:43.799 --> 00:08:46.500 tricky to be able to estimate because we have 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:49.399 so many people using the World Heritage Site 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:51.000 for so many different things, as well as the 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:53.440 visitors that we get coming in. We also have 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:56.279 local volunteer groups. local businesses and 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:58.559 then, of course, all of our residents. But we 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:01.700 think we attract around 1 .3 million visitors 00:09:01.700 --> 00:09:04.940 each year, with the museums attracting approximately 00:09:04.940 --> 00:09:09.039 330 ,000 visitors. And these are mainly from 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:12.139 the West Midlands, but also the wider UK and 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:14.279 coming internationally, we still get a lot of 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:17.659 international visitors as well. Has the UNESCO 00:09:17.659 --> 00:09:20.340 been a part of that? I think so, definitely. 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:23.000 It's helped us to be on that international map. 00:09:23.309 --> 00:09:25.450 But at Ironbridge we've always been a well -established 00:09:25.450 --> 00:09:28.789 visitor destination. The bridge itself was actually 00:09:28.789 --> 00:09:32.350 built to attract visitors in to come and show 00:09:32.350 --> 00:09:36.429 off the scale of iron casting work that could 00:09:36.429 --> 00:09:38.669 be done in this area. So a lot of people think 00:09:38.669 --> 00:09:41.379 that... The Iron Bridge was the start, but actually 00:09:41.379 --> 00:09:43.879 that was just the showcase to be able to showcase 00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:46.740 those changes in industrial processes that had 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:50.019 been invented 50, 60, 70 years prior to that. 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:53.519 So we've got a long history of 300 years of visitors 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:57.539 coming to the Iron Bridge Gorge to see our industrial 00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:02.740 processes. What's the UNESCO UK Industrial Heritage 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:06.279 Trail? So this is a new national initiative and 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:09.679 this brings together 22 of our UNESCO designated 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:13.419 sites across the country, so in England, Scotland 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:16.159 and Wales. And it helps to connect the places 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:19.659 in the UK's industrial past that have that similar 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:22.539 industrial interest. So this is everything from 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:27.179 mills and mines to geoparks and industrial cities. 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:29.500 And the idea behind the trail was that this would 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:31.980 help people to explore those places that have 00:10:31.980 --> 00:10:35.240 now shaped modern life with the creative cities 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:39.299 to explore social impacts. the industrial life 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:41.919 and landscape as well, and how

that has impacted 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:45.639 the country's cultural heritage. So it's a really 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:47.440 great opportunity to bring everyone together 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.360 with this shared interest. Are there connections 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:54.039 between them? Do you kind of co -promote with 00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:56.879 the other ones? Or are there little passports 00:10:56.879 --> 00:10:59.940 that people can stamp at the different sites? 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:03.120 The idea behind the trail is that they are very 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.320 similar. types of World Heritage Site because 00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:09.120 of this industry. You see a lot of similarities 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:13.080 in the culture and in the way in which the heritage 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:15.740 has passed down through the generations, which 00:11:15.740 --> 00:11:18.720 links them really well. And ultimately, that 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:21.200 international designation helps them to bring 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:24.100 awareness to the UK's sort of extensive involvement 00:11:24.100 --> 00:11:27.580 in industry and innovation. And also helps to 00:11:27.580 --> 00:11:31.399 show how the UK has had a global impact. So that's 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:33.340 sort of where we all tie together really well. 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:36.440 In terms of trails, we don't have any organised 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:40.580 stickers or stamp books as yet. But that's not 00:11:40.580 --> 00:11:42.720 to say that it couldn't be in the pipeline for 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:44.519 the future. At the moment, we really just want 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:47.500 to promote ourselves that we have these wonderful 00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:50.220 World Heritage sites on our doorstep to be able 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:52.559 to promote them to not just a national audience, 00:11:52.659 --> 00:11:55.169 but an international audience as well. Do you 00:11:55.169 --> 00:11:57.830 find that there are people that have visited 00:11:57.830 --> 00:12:00.610 many of them that communicate that with you? 00:12:00.970 --> 00:12:04.149 Yeah, so over in Europe especially, there is 00:12:04.149 --> 00:12:08.149 quite a large cohort of people who are very interested 00:12:08.149 --> 00:12:11.850 in doing industrial trips and going to industrial 00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:14.789 tours around the world. And so the whole point 00:12:14.789 --> 00:12:18.769 of this trail is to raise our profile and actually 00:12:18.769 --> 00:12:21.210 to be able to put our hands up and say we were 00:12:21.210 --> 00:12:23.929 one of the first. A lot of this innovation came 00:12:23.929 --> 00:12:26.750 from the UK and whilst it was then... spread 00:12:26.750 --> 00:12:29.110 to other countries and adopted in other countries. 00:12:29.210 --> 00:12:32.029 We were the leaders at one point and so to be 00:12:32.029 --> 00:12:34.750 able to do justice to that heritage. Was that 00:12:34.750 --> 00:12:37.350

a part of the reason for joining the trail in 00:12:37.350 --> 00:12:39.789 the first place, to just improve that footprint? 00:12:40.190 --> 00:12:43.429 Yes, definitely. I think we're fortunate in that 00:12:43.429 --> 00:12:46.610 we have such a rich heritage here and we don't 00:12:46.610 --> 00:12:51.990 always do ourselves justice in that we have so 00:12:51.990 --> 00:12:56.169 much opportunity to shout about how we led. such 00:12:56.169 --> 00:12:59.370 innovative works because the way that the site 00:12:59.370 --> 00:13:02.029 has now been cared for we have a lot of remains 00:13:02.029 --> 00:13:03.769 from this and we have a lot of architectural 00:13:03.769 --> 00:13:06.509 features and heritage assets that relate back 00:13:06.509 --> 00:13:09.789 to this and so by promoting ourselves and shouting 00:13:09.789 --> 00:13:12.549 about ourselves being the cradle of the industrial 00:13:12.549 --> 00:13:15.990 revolution that really helps to promote what 00:13:15.990 --> 00:13:18.200 we have to offer here. All right, I guess we'll 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:21.500 turn it over to Lynn now. Ironbridge, I guess, 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:25.320 also forms a part of the walking festival. Are 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:27.720 there connections between the two? The Ironbridge 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:29.860 walking festival, it covers the whole of the 00:13:29.860 --> 00:13:33.059 UNESCO site. So it's a nine -day festival, which 00:13:33.059 --> 00:13:36.080 happens every year over the May Day Bank holiday 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:38.860 weekend, and then running for nine days from 00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:42.710 that. And so we cover all the areas that Laura's 00:13:42.710 --> 00:13:45.370 mentioned, but also beyond in the surrounding 00:13:45.370 --> 00:13:49.889 areas. So we include Broseley, Muchwenlock in 00:13:49.889 --> 00:13:53.570 terms of where we go walking. And I think we 00:13:53.570 --> 00:13:56.570 really showcase with over 60 walks what Ironbridge 00:13:56.570 --> 00:13:58.850 Gorge and all the surrounding areas have to offer. 00:13:58.990 --> 00:14:03.370 Does it include any themes like the industrial 00:14:03.370 --> 00:14:07.759 heritage? Absolutely. So we're very lucky that 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:09.919 we've got really strong links with other organisations 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:14.320 and people who. retaining their passion for the 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:17.399 industrial heritage and architecture. So we have 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:20.299 a range of themed walks, which we call walk and 00:14:20.299 --> 00:14:23.820 talks, whereby it involves a walk between different 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:27.279 places. But we have the specialists, people there 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:29.820 leading the walks and guiding the walks who will 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:33.419 give a story and all the information about that 00:14:33.419 --> 00:14:36.019 history or that specialist skill. And they're 00:14:36.019 --> 00:14:38.679 always really popular. So they're

normally quite 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.600 short walks, but they take a longer time. because 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.960 there's lots of information that's given. We 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:46.340 have walks about a local ferry disaster, sculptures, 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:49.460 jitties, China making, the geology of the gorge, 00:14:49.580 --> 00:14:52.419 bell ringing and even brewing beer. But we've 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:54.779 had themed walks as part of the programme since 00:14:54.779 --> 00:14:59.220 2005 and we still continue to do them and they 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:02.220 still remain really popular. You know, looking 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:04.720 back at the programme from 2008, which is the 00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:07.139 earliest programme I've got, it's really fascinating 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:09.279 to see that some of those walks are actually 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:11.700 still some of the themed walks that we've developed 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:14.779 and we still do today. I know that this year's 00:15:14.779 --> 00:15:17.220 has already been and gone. Could you tell me 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:20.299 about this one? Yes, we had over 60 walks this 00:15:20.299 --> 00:15:24.019 year. They ranged from 2 to 21 miles. We had 00:15:24.019 --> 00:15:27.200 capacity for over 1 ,300 bookings within that, 00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:30.639 so most walks will have around 20 participants. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:33.559 Some have less, depending on the nature of the 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:37.080 walks. We took over 1 ,500 bookings in total, 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:40.899 and we had nearly 400 people who came and walked 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:43.289 with us. Most people are either doing two or 00:15:43.289 --> 00:15:45.710 three walks, but we have people who just come 00:15:45.710 --> 00:15:48.029 and they just walk with us just for once. And 00:15:48.029 --> 00:15:51.230 we attract people from obviously Telford and 00:15:51.230 --> 00:15:53.789 Recon, but over half the people who come from 00:15:53.789 --> 00:15:56.970 the local area. And even if you are local, you 00:15:56.970 --> 00:15:59.570 still learn something on any of the walks, be 00:15:59.570 --> 00:16:02.230 it a themed walk or just a normal walk. Lots 00:16:02.230 --> 00:16:04.230 of people will say, I've lived in this area for 00:16:04.230 --> 00:16:07.169 years and I didn't even know I could walk there. 00:16:07.409 --> 00:16:09.830 So that's really great that we're giving that. 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:12.960 local knowledge and love of the area to people 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:15.000 who might just think of Ironbridge as just being 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:17.740 for the bridge. They really are able to explore 00:16:17.740 --> 00:16:21.139 the area. We have about 20 % of the walkers who 00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:23.840 come from the Shropshire County and then another 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:26.799 20 % will come from all the surrounding neighbouring 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:30.419 counties

as well and about 5 % of people will 00:16:30.419 --> 00:16:34.529 come from England, Scotland, Wales and we even 00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:36.690 have a couple of people who come from abroad 00:16:36.690 --> 00:16:39.730 so we have quite a good following. We have about 00:16:39.730 --> 00:16:42.289 two -thirds of the people who walk with us who 00:16:42.289 --> 00:16:44.850 are returned walkers and we have about a third 00:16:44.850 --> 00:16:47.049 who come and join us who are new to the festival 00:16:47.049 --> 00:16:50.330 every year so we have that continuous flow through 00:16:50.330 --> 00:16:52.809 the Iron Bridge about promoting the area as a 00:16:52.809 --> 00:16:56.269 place to come and explore and also that contribution 00:16:56.269 --> 00:16:59.029 in terms of the economic contribution to the 00:16:59.029 --> 00:17:01.429 local areas as well. And you were mentioning 00:17:01.429 --> 00:17:04.789 that really early programme that you found from, 00:17:04.849 --> 00:17:07.410 what was it, 2008? How has it changed over the 00:17:07.410 --> 00:17:10.289 years? Oh, it's massive. It's massive. I've just 00:17:10.289 --> 00:17:12.910 done a bit of a plotted history. And so on the 00:17:12.910 --> 00:17:15.730 first walk, on the first programme, we had 24 00:17:15.730 --> 00:17:19.289 themed walks and three longer walks. So you can 00:17:19.289 --> 00:17:21.750 see how it's developed, the programme that we've 00:17:21.750 --> 00:17:25.220 got now offering over 60 walks. across the area 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:28.640 and we have a long walk on every single day and 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:31.400 many of those walks are really still present 00:17:31.400 --> 00:17:34.539 in the programme which I think demonstrates that 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:36.920 people still have that passion for those subjects. 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:40.059 The festival for a few years continued in that 00:17:40.059 --> 00:17:44.099 same vein and then in 2012 we had the leadership 00:17:44.099 --> 00:17:47.180 of Neil Cartman who took over and Neil was with 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:50.079 us for over 13 years and he was a long distance 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:53.599 walker himself and he really shaped along with 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:56.160 another committee member, Graeme Burgess, they 00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:58.619 really shaped the programme and the features 00:17:58.619 --> 00:18:00.920 of the programme that we have today. So they 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:04.859 grew it from that around 30 walks into the over 00:18:04.859 --> 00:18:08.140 50 and now over 60 walks that we showcase today. 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:11.339 They also introduced the concept of medals, so 00:18:11.339 --> 00:18:14.299 people could start off having a medal for completing 00:18:14.299 --> 00:18:17.480 100 miles. And over the years, we've increased 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:21.119 those medals because we saw that... 100 miles 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:23.180 was quite aspirational and perhaps something 00:18:23.180

--> 00:18:25.160 that someone would never thought they could do 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:27.859 often because of time limitations because it's 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:30.160 quite a big chunk out of people's annual leave 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:33.250 capacity if they weren't retired So we've gradually 00:18:33.250 --> 00:18:35.890 introduced medals and we now give out medals 00:18:35.890 --> 00:18:41.289 to people who do 25, 50, 75, 100. And for those 00:18:41.289 --> 00:18:43.289 that actually complete all the long walks, they 00:18:43.289 --> 00:18:45.549 get a medal called the Cartman Challenge for 00:18:45.549 --> 00:18:49.630 over 150 miles. And what we saw with that, it 00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:53.009 helped people to build on their walking. So it 00:18:53.009 --> 00:18:56.000 had a benefit in terms of... encouraging people 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:58.740 to come back year on year because they may have 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:00.839 started out and not knowing about the medals 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:03.019 but then they come back and they'll go well i'll 00:19:03.019 --> 00:19:06.259 go for 25 but then they go oh i'll try for a 00:19:06.259 --> 00:19:10.099 50 next year or 75 so it was really good to see 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:12.900 that we were recognizing all the different distances 00:19:12.900 --> 00:19:15.960 because it isn't just about the long walks and 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:18.440 equally it's not just about getting a medal we've 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:20.440 got a large proportion of people who just come 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:22.759 and they just do one walk with us and really 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.529 enjoy it and they'll come perhaps next year and 00:19:25.529 --> 00:19:29.309 do another walk so I think we cater for all kinds 00:19:29.309 --> 00:19:32.569 of interests and different abilities it's one 00:19:32.569 --> 00:19:35.410 of the only walking festivals around that has 00:19:35.410 --> 00:19:39.630 that breadth of distances from 2 to 21 miles 00:19:39.630 --> 00:19:42.069 so catering for all sorts of walking interests. 00:19:42.609 --> 00:19:45.049 You were saying that people come back year after 00:19:45.049 --> 00:19:48.089 year does that mean that you have to change the 00:19:48.089 --> 00:19:50.569 walks that are on the programme year after year 00:19:50.569 --> 00:19:53.509 or if you change them do you get complaints that? 00:19:53.799 --> 00:19:56.420 Why haven't you put that one back on again? I'm 00:19:56.420 --> 00:19:59.380 a bit of a spreadsheet geek, so I'll admit to 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:02.759 that now. So because we advertise through Eventbrite, 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:05.519 we get lots of data from Eventbrite in terms 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.799 of the interest in the walks, in terms of number 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:10.900 of bookings. And you kind of know anyway, even 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:13.460 without that kind of hard data, what walks are 00:20:13.460 --> 00:20:16.579 popular. We always get told, even when we put 00:20:16.579 --> 00:20:19.559 on 60 walks, some of the walks we double up because 00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:22.269 they are so popular. We're always getting asked 00:20:22.269 --> 00:20:24.769 in the feedback, can you do more? Can you do 00:20:24.769 --> 00:20:27.309 more? But we're at the capacity really in terms 00:20:27.309 --> 00:20:30.190 of what we can deliver as a group of volunteers. 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:33.920 So the really popular walks we'll put on twice 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:36.920 during the festival. We're also fortunate through 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:40.160 Neil's previous contact with Lord Hamilton over 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:44.059 at the Appley Estate. He allows us special access 00:20:44.059 --> 00:20:47.619 to go and walk on his estate. So we do two six 00:20:47.619 --> 00:20:50.319 -mile walks there and a longer walk that we walk 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:53.240 from Ironbridge. So we've got some really specialist 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:55.480 walks that you can only do on the Ironbridge 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:57.519 Gorge Festival. So we're very lucky to have that 00:20:57.519 --> 00:21:00.259 partnership. And then for the other walks... 00:21:00.490 --> 00:21:03.089 always the themed walks are always under demand 00:21:03.089 --> 00:21:06.930 they're always subscribed very very quickly we 00:21:06.930 --> 00:21:10.569 tend to keep those on and in fact we have a walk 00:21:10.569 --> 00:21:13.710 which is about the jitties up in brosley that 00:21:13.710 --> 00:21:15.990 i didn't realize how long that was going but 00:21:15.990 --> 00:21:18.250 that was in one of the very early programs and 00:21:18.250 --> 00:21:21.170 we still run that today and it still gets full 00:21:21.170 --> 00:21:24.710 capacity every year so we tend to have probably 00:21:24.710 --> 00:21:27.109 a core program of walks that we knew were really 00:21:27.109 --> 00:21:31.089 popular And then we change the programme for 00:21:31.089 --> 00:21:33.349 some of the routes and things on the walks that 00:21:33.349 --> 00:21:34.930 perhaps haven't got a feed because we've got 00:21:34.930 --> 00:21:37.690 more flexibility with that. But most people that 00:21:37.690 --> 00:21:40.210 we get feedback from both on the festival and 00:21:40.210 --> 00:21:43.329 afterwards say it's not broken, so don't try 00:21:43.329 --> 00:21:46.349 to fix it. So we kind of go with what we know 00:21:46.349 --> 00:21:49.789 works. And I think over the years, we've probably 00:21:49.789 --> 00:21:53.559 stuck to the same kind of formula. in terms of 00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:56.279 the format of the program and then we just add 00:21:56.279 --> 00:21:59.299 some interest we try and add some interest every 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:02.180 year with some new walks or update the walks 00:22:02.180 --> 00:22:04.799 because it's always evolving the landscape's 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:08.460 evolving and so we try and add some new items 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:12.140 of

interest in and do some variations on perhaps 00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:15.000 some older walks just to update them have you 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:18.480 already started on We normally have a little 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:21.200 bit of a break now, but because of the UNESCO 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:24.799 40th anniversary celebrations, which start in 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:27.460 November or from November for the next year, 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:30.799 Laura's involved us really early. So we had a 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:33.220 meeting with Laura and the committee and the 00:22:33.220 --> 00:22:37.039 walk leaders recently, and that started generating 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:40.440 some ideas about what we can do. So normally 00:22:40.440 --> 00:22:43.299 we probably start planning for the festival around 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:46.240 about September, October time. which is still 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:49.400 quite a big lead in time in terms of a May festival 00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:52.059 but this year we've ignited that passion and 00:22:52.059 --> 00:22:54.119 enthusiasm a little bit earlier with it being 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:56.940 the 40th anniversary so we've already got some 00:22:56.940 --> 00:23:00.259 ideas brewing and thinking about it a little 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:03.019 bit earlier this year. Because of the location 00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:06.059 you were mentioning the proximity to Shrewsbury 00:23:06.059 --> 00:23:09.920 and the West Midlands. I would imagine that it's 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:14.160 very easy to, if you were coming in from Scotland 00:23:14.160 --> 00:23:16.799 or from a different country, there's plenty of 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.680 places to stay and it's easy to get to the walks. 00:23:20.119 --> 00:23:23.039 yeah absolutely on our website we promote the 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:25.640 visit telford and the visit shropshire which 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:27.680 has got excellent links about all the accommodation 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:30.880 but also the wider things to do we encourage 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:33.420 people to go on those sites and we've got links 00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:36.619 on the websites we always do the signposting 00:23:36.619 --> 00:23:39.690 to those areas because they're such fantastic 00:23:39.690 --> 00:23:42.569 websites that gives people all the information 00:23:42.569 --> 00:23:46.289 and we regularly have people who will come and 00:23:46.289 --> 00:23:49.769 just book in and stay with us for the week and 00:23:49.769 --> 00:23:52.269 just do the festival and people come back and 00:23:52.269 --> 00:23:55.750 do that you know year on year. And they stay 00:23:55.750 --> 00:23:58.789 in local accommodation and then travel into Ironbridge 00:23:58.789 --> 00:24:02.630 sometimes. Or sometimes they will stay in Ironbridge 00:24:02.630 --> 00:24:05.769 itself. There's lots of availability in the gorge 00:24:05.769 --> 00:24:08.490 for people to stay as well. So we've got the 00:24:08.490 --> 00:24:10.529 whole package in terms of that accessibility, 00:24:10.750 --> 00:24:14.549 which works really well. And is there a lot of 00:24:14.549 --> 00:24:18.089 coordination between the site and the festival? 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:21.299 Yes, we work in partnership with all the people 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:23.839 who've got special interests and they've been 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:26.420 a big part of the festival. So it doesn't really 00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:28.880 feel as if you're working with different organisations 00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:31.460 because the relationships that we've had with 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:34.779 them are so long standing. But yes, we're so 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:37.079 lucky to have such brilliant partnership work 00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:40.400 with a range of organisations. Seven Gorge Countryside 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:43.079 Trust is a key part of the festival and we have 00:24:43.079 --> 00:24:45.559 excellent relationships with the Ambridge Gorge 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:47.680 Museum Trust, which is now the National Trust. 00:24:48.410 --> 00:24:51.849 the Coracle Trust and English Heritage, as well 00:24:51.849 --> 00:24:53.849 as people from the local community who want to 00:24:53.849 --> 00:24:56.430 share their passion and knowledge. We do work 00:24:56.430 --> 00:24:58.730 in partnership, but it just feels so natural 00:24:58.730 --> 00:25:01.970 that you forget that actually it is real partnership 00:25:01.970 --> 00:25:04.650 working. We're very lucky in the World Heritage 00:25:04.650 --> 00:25:07.269 Site that we have some really wonderful stakeholders 00:25:07.269 --> 00:25:10.089 who look after the World Heritage Site and the 00:25:10.089 --> 00:25:12.910 gorge. So as Lynn said, National Trust have just 00:25:12.910 --> 00:25:16.009 come in and taken over from IGMT, who are the 00:25:16.009 --> 00:25:18.990 Einbridge Gorge Museum Trust. So we've just been 00:25:18.990 --> 00:25:21.349 managing that transition and they're really keen 00:25:21.349 --> 00:25:24.309 to get involved. But we also have very long standing 00:25:24.309 --> 00:25:27.650 custodians of the World Heritage Site, including 00:25:27.650 --> 00:25:30.470 Severn Gorge Countryside Trust. And they do a 00:25:30.470 --> 00:25:33.369 lot of work to help to... keep all of our green 00:25:33.369 --> 00:25:36.250 space around the gorge accessible with a really 00:25:36.250 --> 00:25:39.849 strong band of volunteers who as lynn said work 00:25:39.849 --> 00:25:42.950 very closely then with the walking festival it'll 00:25:42.950 --> 00:25:45.329 probably put both of you on the spot here but 00:25:45.329 --> 00:25:48.490 what are some of your favorite places in the 00:25:48.490 --> 00:25:52.130 area to go walking oh that's a good question 00:25:52.130 --> 00:25:55.650 how do you answer that i don't think i could 00:25:55.650 --> 00:25:58.829 give one could i give three Yeah, absolutely. 00:25:58.990 --> 00:26:03.170 So one of my

favourite areas to go walking, even 00:26:03.170 --> 00:26:06.589 just after work in an evening or on a weekend, 00:26:06.630 --> 00:26:09.950 is around the Benthall Edge area because there's 00:26:09.950 --> 00:26:12.589 a lot of our older remnants of mining there. 00:26:12.769 --> 00:26:15.250 And I think it's where you get the biggest sense 00:26:15.250 --> 00:26:18.970 of... how what was a very scarred industrial 00:26:18.970 --> 00:26:22.750 landscape has now been restored by nature itself. 00:26:23.029 --> 00:26:25.509 There's been very little human intervention there, 00:26:25.670 --> 00:26:29.549 but nature has recaptured the area. And so you're 00:26:29.549 --> 00:26:32.869 walking through and there's very dramatic quarry 00:26:32.869 --> 00:26:36.910 sides and quarry walls and big ditches that have 00:26:36.910 --> 00:26:41.150 been enveloped by nature. 100 years worth of 00:26:41.150 --> 00:26:43.990 nature reclaiming that and it is quite a spectacular 00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:46.609 landscape to be in because you can very much 00:26:46.609 --> 00:26:49.809 get the sense of both sides both the modern restored 00:26:49.809 --> 00:26:54.089 landscape as well as a very old industrial heritage 00:26:54.089 --> 00:26:57.309 landscape as well but then you can go to other 00:26:57.309 --> 00:27:00.210 areas which are a little bit more managed so 00:27:00.210 --> 00:27:03.380 for example we have a meadows trust who operate 00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:06.019 in the World Heritage Site, and they look after 00:27:06.019 --> 00:27:10.200 two large areas of meadow up on the top of the 00:27:10.200 --> 00:27:13.839 gorge. And that has some of the rarest types 00:27:13.839 --> 00:27:16.019 of orchid in the country. They have one of the 00:27:16.019 --> 00:27:18.039 biggest and rarest collections of orchids, and 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:21.680 those have sprung up from the industrial spoil 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:25.019 and the spoil heaps that were left from the mining 00:27:25.019 --> 00:27:27.460 landscape, where debris was removed from the 00:27:27.460 --> 00:27:31.170 mines and discarded. onto this hillside and the 00:27:31.170 --> 00:27:33.630 meadows have since sprung from it and through 00:27:33.630 --> 00:27:36.390 their management now offer some really beautiful 00:27:36.390 --> 00:27:38.509 species of orchids that you can't see anywhere 00:27:38.509 --> 00:27:41.250 else in the country. And then finally walking 00:27:41.250 --> 00:27:44.210 down by the river. The river is such an integral 00:27:44.210 --> 00:27:47.089 part of our industrial heritage in that that 00:27:47.089 --> 00:27:49.829 was how goods were brought in and out of the 00:27:49.829 --> 00:27:51.990 World Heritage Site and the River Severn would 00:27:51.990 --> 00:27:54.809 have run all the way from here up in Shropshire 00:27:54.809 --> 00:27:58.140 and Talford all the way down to obviously the 00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:01.680 Severn Estuary and was our international gateway 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:04.339 almost. And so walking down along the river, 00:28:04.359 --> 00:28:06.819 you can see some beautiful wildlife down by the 00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:09.359 river now as well, trying to get a sense of just 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:11.859 how busy a transport network that originally 00:28:11.859 --> 00:28:14.240 would have been. Mine were a bit more difficult 00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:17.099 because when I do the walking festival, because 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:19.819 I walk on it as well as being part of the organisation 00:28:19.819 --> 00:28:23.210 and I normally do the long walks. I'll start 00:28:23.210 --> 00:28:25.990 off doing a walk that goes out to some of the 00:28:25.990 --> 00:28:28.230 villages over in Harley and that then becomes 00:28:28.230 --> 00:28:31.529 my favourite walk. But the next day I'll do another 00:28:31.529 --> 00:28:34.609 walk and you think, oh, I forgot about this place. 00:28:34.829 --> 00:28:37.730 Oh, this is one of my favourite walks. So you 00:28:37.730 --> 00:28:40.349 have elements on all the walks. But I think what 00:28:40.349 --> 00:28:42.450 I love about walking in the gorge is you can 00:28:42.450 --> 00:28:47.019 go from the Iron Bridge in all directions. And 00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:49.960 you've always got the beautiful woodland. And 00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:51.900 in May, when we do the festival, you've got the 00:28:51.900 --> 00:28:55.200 wild garlic and the bluebells and the fields 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:58.319 of rapeseed that are coming into the beautiful 00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:02.200 yellow. So you've got all these beautiful elements 00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:04.819 of nature that come together at the time of the 00:29:04.819 --> 00:29:08.069 festival. So I think, for me... I love, like 00:29:08.069 --> 00:29:11.630 Laura says, the cliff faces that we have up in 00:29:11.630 --> 00:29:14.710 some of the dingles. I love walking on the paths 00:29:14.710 --> 00:29:16.789 that the Seven Gorge Countryside Trust maintain 00:29:16.789 --> 00:29:19.849 that guide you through all the dingles that in 00:29:19.849 --> 00:29:22.829 May are overgrowing with the white garlic and 00:29:22.829 --> 00:29:25.750 the green leaves. And it's just beautiful. So 00:29:25.750 --> 00:29:27.809 I think I'd probably go for walks with those 00:29:27.809 --> 00:29:30.589 kind of features. And I think just so lucky. 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:34.559 that you can go from all of the directions from 00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:38.180 the bridge to experience those features. So I 00:29:38.180 --> 00:29:41.299 wouldn't say I had a favourite walk. I just love 00:29:41.299 --> 00:29:44.839 being able to go and have those features so accessible 00:29:44.839 --> 00:29:47.640 on the doorstep. And I also just like visiting 00:29:47.640 --> 00:29:50.319 the local churches as well. We've got loads of 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:53.869 churches in Shropshire and in the Gorge. And 00:29:53.869 --> 00:29:56.589 it's just nice to do trails that take you from 00:29:56.589 --> 00:29:59.230 the different churches and looking at the communities 00:29:59.230 --> 00:30:11.509 around those churches as well. You might have 00:30:11.509 --> 00:30:15.150 missed that walking festival for 2026. But that 00:30:15.150 --> 00:30:17.089 doesn't mean that you can't head down to see 00:30:17.089 --> 00:30:20.309 the area at other times of the year. Sounds like 00:30:20.309 --> 00:30:23.190 yet another place to add to my bucket list of 00:30:23.190 --> 00:30:25.769 sights that I have to see. That's one of the 00:30:25.769 --> 00:30:27.910 biggest issues about doing a walking podcast 00:30:27.910 --> 00:30:31.230 and also filming. You see a new trail announced, 00:30:31.329 --> 00:30:34.190 like the ones in Greece, and instantly you want 00:30:34.190 --> 00:30:37.470 to go. Hopefully the cost of flights drops to 00:30:37.470 --> 00:30:40.730 a reasonable level again soon. Like filling the 00:30:40.730 --> 00:30:43.960 car with fuel. That's a painful experience these 00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:46.799 days. If you do have news or suggestions for 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:49.759 podcast guests, please do get in touch through 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:53.200 jim at walkingpost .com because we're always 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:55.460 looking for guests, whether it's a new trail, 00:30:55.640 --> 00:30:58.819 a new book, or a walking festival, or someone 00:30:58.819 --> 00:31:01.680 who's done an amazing, unusual, or interesting 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:05.069 walk somewhere. So, I hope you enjoyed this week's 00:31:05.069 --> 00:31:08.529 walkingpost .com podcast, and I hope that you 00:31:08.529 --> 00:31:10.990 have a great week ahead, hopefully with a walk 00:31:10.990 --> 00:31:13.910 somewhere, whether it involves a bridge crossing 00:31:13.910 --> 00:31:17.089 or not. Until next time, happy trails!