THIS year's Malvern Walking Festival is set to be the best ever, with 40 walks of all distances and degrees of difficulty over its nine days.

Organisers say that interest in the 2016 event is very high, with bookings running at 22 per cent more than at the same time last year.

Two of the longer, more strenuous walks are already fully booked but places remain on the remaining 38 walks. Festival spokesman Derek Starkey said: "If you’ve ever wanted to explore the Malverns, or felt you weren’t getting the best out of the area, this is an opportunity that you may want to investigate.

"The festival starts this year on Saturday, May 28, with the last walk on Sunday, June 5. The walks are mostly on and around the Malvern Hills, with some further afield.

"They range from the energetic - a 31-mile one-day walk along the complete route of the demanding Worcestershire Way - to the gentle - an evening stroll visiting some of the buildings of Malvern that have associations with notable people and events.

"Walk leaders have the local knowledge that makes the walks even more interesting. There are walks exploring the countryside and villages of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

"Other walks pass an Iron Age fort, ancient churches, historic houses, and a battle site. Geology, natural history, music and literature associations are all covered. Above all is the simple pleasure of walking through beautiful country."

All the walks are graded easy, moderate, hard or energetic, and should be booked in advance. For full details of all the walks and to book, visit malvernwalking.uk or call the Malvern Tourist Information Centre on 01684 892289.