[K]eswick Mountain Festival (KMF) has added a schedule of adventure talks to its 2018 programme. The new KMF Studio Talks will be hosted in the Theatre by the Lake on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 June, and will feature a wide variety of speakers, including Alan Hinkes, Alastair Humphreys, Jessie Leong, Emma Brennand, Sean Conway and the Meek family.
Making an appearance on behalf of the #itsgreatoutthere campaign will be Alastair Humphreys, who will talk about his many adventures, from cycling around the world to the #microadventures concept that he pioneered. A regular at Keswick Mountain Festival, Alan Hinkes will share stories from his climbing adventures around the world, offering an honest and gripping account of his mountaineering feats on peaks such as Everest, K2 and Kangchenjunga. BBC Natural History assistant producer Emma Brennand will offer an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes of the ‘Mountains’ and ‘Islands’ episodes of David Attenborough’s Planet Earth II, while Jessie Leong will provide top tips and insights into the practical realities of adventure photography.
James Forrest will speak about his record-breaking adventure last year, when he climbed all 446 mountains in England and Wales in six months, and Leon McCarron will share stories from his many long-distance, human-powered expeditions. Sean Conway, the first and only man in history to cycle, swim and run the length of Britain, will also takes to the stage, as will trail running experts Paul Larkins (editor of Trail Running magazine) and Olympian Sarah Rowell.
Completing the KMF Studio Talks line-up will be the Meek family, who will host an informal get-together for parents and children looking to maximise family time in the outdoors. The Meeks will aim to help everyone leave the session having decided on at least one family adventure to tackle.
This year’s Keswick Mountain Festival will run from 8-10 June 2018, based on the shore of Derwentwater in Keswick, Cumbria. Since its launch in 2007, KMF has grown into one of the biggest and best loved outdoor events in the UK calendar and now attracts around 20,000 visitors each year to a unique mix of live music, sporting events, outdoor adventures, high profile speakers, taster activities, exhibitor stands and camping. The heart of the event is the Festival Village on Crow Park, just outside the Theatre by the Lake.
Nicola Meadley, Keswick Mountain Festival director, comments: “The Theatre by the Lake is a brilliant venue and we’re going to use it even more at this year’s Keswick Mountain Festival. We have lined up some fantastic personalities for the KMF Studio Talks, who will bring very different aspects of the world of adventure to life on stage. There’s a really great variety of sessions and a choice of speakers designed to appeal to all of our visitors.”
Entry into the KMF Studio Talks is free for anyone who has a festival weekend ticket, available from £50 at www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk. A weekend ticket also gives visitors access to all activities in the Festival Village and to two nights of live music, including sets by Melanie C, Peter Hook and the Light, and the Peatbog Faeries. To find out more about KMF, visit the website or Facebook, email info@keswickmountainfestival.co.uk, or follow @keswickfestival on Twitter and Instagram.
