Free family walks arrive at Penzance and Treyarnon Bay

Children in Cornwall spend an average of 45 hours a week indoors, and more than a third of that time is behind a screen. Two youth hostels are offering a straightforward way to break that pattern this autumn, with a walk that starts and finishes on the doorstep and costs nothing to join.

📷Festival of Walking at Hartington Hall YHA. Photography by Richard Richards Photography.

Two walks, two coastlines

YHA is bringing its Festival of Walking back to Cornwall, with free guided walks at YHA Penzance and YHA Treyarnon Bay. Both are open to people of all abilities and designed to introduce families, especially younger walkers, to the heritage and landscape on their doorstep.

• Wednesday 23 September: a 7.2km social walk from YHA Penzance
• Thursday 24 September: a 10km social walk from YHA Treyarnon Bay

Both routes are circular, so walkers end up back where they set off.

📷YHA Penzance

What families can expect

Every walk is led by a guide and finishes with a free cuppa and cake, YHA’s way of turning a hike into a proper social occasion. Andrew McCoy, Programme Manager for the YHA Festival of Walking, said the format is designed with beginners in mind.

“The free, child-friendly guided walks are a practical way for families to build confidence in the outdoors while introducing younger people to nature,” he said. “They create space to step away from screens, spend time outside together and form a genuine connection with the natural environment. For many, that first experience can be the start of a lasting interest in walking that continues into adulthood.”

📷YHA Treyarnon

A festival built on confidence, connection and belonging

Under that theme, up to 60 free guided walks are taking place across England and Wales until Sunday 11 October, delivered with partners including the National Trust, local Ramblers groups, the Canal & River Trust, Outdoor Adventure Girls and qualified Nordic walking instructors. Alongside the family trails there are beginner navigation sessions, women-only walks, Nordic walking tasters, mindfulness walks, and routes built around wildlife, canals and heritage.

In the south west, hostels in Swanage and Cheddar are also taking part, and the festival’s full spread runs from Penzance to Northumberland and from London to Liverpool, taking in both urban and rural starting points.

Four years of growing numbers

The festival launched in 2022 with 19 social walks and around 1,550 participants. By 2025 that had grown to 55 walks and roughly 4,300 people taking part. Backed by Sport England and other partners, the festival is now in its fourth year with funding secured through to 2027.

Pre-booking is essential for both Cornwall walks, and for the rest of the programme, through the YHA Festival of Walking website.

📷Festival of Walking at Hartington Hall YHA. Photography by Richard Richards Photography.