High Weald Walking Festival

Now in its ninth year, this nine-day festival spreads around 80 guided and self-guided walks across the High Weald's sunken lanes, ancient woods and sandstone outcrops — everything from short, buggy-friendly rambles from railway stations to longer history-and-wildlife routes around Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. Most guided walks are free and led by local experts who know exactly why that hedgerow or ironworks ruin matters.

It's a genuinely low-pressure way to meet people who like the same things you do — turn up, walk, chat — and there's enough variety across Kent, East Sussex and Surrey that dog owners, families and keen ramblers can all find something on the right day. Check the festival site nearer the time for the full walk-by-walk programme and booking details, as some popular routes fill up.