Keswick Mountain Festival (KMF) has unveiled a schedule of high profile speakers who will be entertaining visitors to the Lake District this May. Some of the biggest names in outdoor adventure, sport and broadcasting will take to the stage in Keswick's Theatre by the Lake from Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 May. Household names such as Julia Bradbury and James Cracknell will be joined by Monty Halls, Alan Hinkes and Mick Fowler in a varied programme for the 10th anniversary festival.
The 2016 Keswick Mountain Festival will run from Thursday 19 until Sunday 22 May, with its main base being the Festival Village on Crow Park in Keswick, open from Friday 20th.
Monty Halls will kick-off the schedule on Thursday 19 May. For the last three years, Halls has been travelling the world, seeking out the great mysteries and the hidden gems of the planet. He has led expeditions and explored oceans, caves and jungles, and maintained a high profile on TV with series such as Dive Mysteries and Lost Worlds. During his talk, Halls will explore whether exploration and true adventure still exist.
Halls will be followed by Julia Bradbury, one of the best known outdoor enthusiasts in the UK. Bradbury will share her recent adventures and favourite walks, some of which feature in her new eight part series for ITV, 'Best Walks with a View'. With the first episode to be broadcast on Friday 19 February, the series will run for eight weeks and will include a route in and around Keswick.
Friday at Keswick Mountain Festival will see a special evening with double Olympic champion James Cracknell. After reaching the pinnacle of achievement in rowing, Cracknell has carved a name for himself as a fearless adventurer who is prepared to subject himself to huge physical and mental challenges. He will give the festival audience an insight into how he has overcome the obstacles that he has faced and dealt with the life changing consequences of his accident in Arizona in 2010.
Mountain adventures will be the theme on Saturday 21 May, as two of the UK's most accomplished climbers entertain audiences in the Theatre by the Lake. The evening will begin with Alan Hinkes, the first Brit to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000m peaks. Hinkes will talk about that quest and some of his more recent adventures, in Scotland, Norway and the Arctic.
The speaker programme will conclude with Mick Fowler, a man who epitomises adventure mountaineering and specialises in finding new routes on remote Himalayan peaks. Twice winner of a coveted Piolet d'Or Award, Fowler is one of the most highly regarded mountaineers on the planet. He will share details from his latest successful expedition, the first ascent of Gave Ding (6,571m) with Paul Ramsden, via the spectacular north face - completed using his holiday allocation from his full-time job in the tax office.
Tickets for all 2016 Keswick Mountain Festival events are available at keswickmountainfestival.co.uk or by calling See Tickets on 0871 2305537 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras). To find out more, visit the website, email
