TICKETS for the 25th Scottish Borders Walking Festival, a week-long event held in Selkirk and the Ettrick and Yarrow valleys from September 7, are set to go on sale later this month – and a famous face has signed on to lend support.

This year’s event will be kicked off by one of Scotland’s top outdoor writers, and presenter of the BBC Adventure Show, Cameron McNeish.

McNeish, who will appear at the festival’s opening night celebrations, was editor of The Great Outdoors magazine for twenty years and still writes regular columns in Scots Magazine, Campervan Magazine, the Herald and for online magazine www.walkhighlands.co.uk.

His most recent best-selling book, There’s Always the Hills, with foreword written by Sam Heughan, star of Outlander and a walking enthusiast, won the 2018 ‘The Great Outdoors’ Magazine Book of the Year award.

Cameron will be giving a presentation on his book with a signing afterwards, while the evening will also see music from local performers Selkirk Silver Band and the Clarsach Duo, Madalaine Cross and Charlotte Tuckwood.

This year’s festival will see a total of 28 guided countryside walks of varied lengths, taking in routes across the Selkirk, Ettrick and Yarrow Valley areas - from the Southern Upland Way, the Grey Mare’s Tail Waterfall and the Ring o’ the Loch to the famous Three Brethren and many more.

There will be seven daily walks led by local experts and enthusiasts, including a James Hogg Poetry walk in Ettrick, a stroll with a Bowhill Estate Ranger and a tour around the historic Ettrickbridge, led by village residents.

The Scottish Borders Walking Festival began in 1995, making it the longest walking festival of its kind in Scotland.

The event is organised and run by volunteers for the benefit of the local community and visiting walkers.

Keith Robeson, Senior Ranger at Scottish Borders Council, who has been involved since the very beginning, said: “The Borders really lends itself to walking and the festival moves around different towns every year, so gives walkers plenty variety, while being held in September gives us an excellent chance of good weather in Scotland.”

Sue Briggs, Chair of the Festival Steering Group, added: “We’re really lucky to have the Selkirk Farmers’ Market and the Yarrow Show on during our festival week and the town will also be decorated with weird and wonderful hats as part of the Souter Stormer Yarn Bombers HatFest competition – Border Bunnets.

“It is going to be a brilliant atmosphere.”

Keen hikers will be able to secure tickets for from midnight on March 31 by visiting www.borderswalking.com.