Simon Yates will lead the walk up Blencathra

A mountain festival will help boot up a national campaign to get Britain walking.

Visitors to the Keswick Mountain Festival are being offered to walk with top mountaineer Simon Yates, the man famed for cutting the rope in Touching the Void.

The Hike with Simon Yates is just one of a range of walks during the festival, which takes place next month.

Organisers said they are playing their part in the Britain on Foot campaign, which will also launch next month and which is the outdoor industry’s major scheme to get Britons off the sofa and into the outdoors.

Yates will lead a walk up Hall’s Fell Ridge on Blencathra, along with two mountain guides from Quest 4 Adventure.

Other walks of distances between three and 23 miles are also on offer and anyone booking will receive a Nikwax goody bag worth £16.

Hall's Fell Ridge will be the route taken to the top of Blencathra

For the less adventurous, there will also be four easier Britain on Foot walks, designed to give less experienced or confident visitors a chance to try an outdoor activity in a classic destination. Organisers said: “Thanks to the support of Hi-Tec, places on all four are free, but are limited and expected to fill up quickly.”

The Hike with Simon Yates on Saturday 18 May costs £25 a person, with the other longer walks priced at £12.50.

Lucy Scrase, Keswick Mountain Festival director, said: “Our hike programme is really diverse and exciting.

“We have over 30 guided walks that will take people to some of the most scenic and spectacular locations in the country, and along the shores of Cumbria’s wonderful lakes.

“We are delighted that Simon Yates will lead a walk on iconic Blencathra and proud to support Britain on Foot throughout the festival.

Britain on Foot will launch next month

“It is an important campaign that will use the outdoors to inspire the people of the UK to lead active, healthy lives. There’s no better part of the country than the Lake District to showcase under the Britain on Foot banner.”

The Outdoor Industries Association’s Britain on Foot is a campaign designed to get the people of Britain fitter, healthier and happier by encouraging them to participate in outdoor activities.

BoF launches at the start of May and Keswick Mountain Festival will be the first major outdoor event at which the initiative will have a presence. As well as events in the hike programme, BoF will also be represented in the Festival Village on Crow Park.

More details are on the festival website.