A POPULAR Herefordshire event for walkers is back promising to be "bigger and better than ever."

The 13th annual Ross-on-Wye walking festival sees a much-enlarged programme of 24 special interest walks.

These walks vary in length and difficulty so that they can be enjoyed by the widest of audiences, with all of them led by experienced local leaders.

They range from fossil hunting to Wye Valley geology; steam trains to sculptures; flowers, orchards and water meadows; WW2 secrets and other hidden histories; and even an early morning riverside stroll to identify birds by sound and sight.

A spokesperson for the event said: "The walks are enjoyed by local people discovering new areas and making new friends as well as visitors to the area.

"We’ve even had people coming year after year from as far away as the USA and Japan."

Walkers are encouraged to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Wye Valley around the Herefordshire town at the festival, running from Friday, September 23 to Sunday, September 25.