KEEN walkers are being urged to get moving and book their places on a festival.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's Coast and Country Festival of Walking was cancelled last year because of the foot-and-mouth epidemic, but is back this year over the weekend of June 21 to 23.

Sponsored by outdoor equipment retailer Nevisport, the walks will be led by specialists from the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, the National Trust, the Cleveland Way Project, Tees Archaeology, the Long Distance Walkers Association and Forest Enterprise.

All of the walks will be based at the Guisborough Branch and Walkway Visitor Centre.

Entertainment will be provided at the Fox and Hounds, at Slapewath, near Guisborough, including a talk on ghosts, folklore and legends by historian Bob Woodhouse.

The programme includes a seven-mile stroll around Newton-under-Roseberry and Great Ayton, a walk along the Saltburn and Skinningrove coastlines, a five-mile wander around Guisborough Woods, and a three-mile walk to discover the flora and fauna of Saltburn Gill and Huntcliff.

The closing date for entries is Friday, May 31.

For further infromation call the countryside team on (01642) 444187 or 444373.