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Shap Outdoor Festival '25

Celebrating Cumbria's hidden temperate rainforests.

Event Date

26 April 2025

This event occurs daily from
26 Apr 2025 to 26 May 2025

Description

The Shap Outdoor Festival is a month-long event, from April 26th to May 25th.

Cumbria is home to rich, lush ancient woodlands and they are among the UK’s most important natural landscapes, supporting a variety of wildlife.

The year’s festival will celebrate these extraordinary forests and highlight ongoing recovery efforts through a programme of events that will introduce people to the vital, yet often overlooked, woodlands, raising awareness of their fragility and celebrating the incredible work being done to protect them.

The Old Courthouse in Shap will host a month-long exhibition in its Exhibit A Gallery.

The exhibition will showcase the beauty, biodiversity and importance of temperate rainforests, with a particular focus on Naddle Forest at the RSPB at Wild Haweswater and the wider Lowther Valley.

It is being held in collaboration with the #Species Survival Fund Rainforest Project, led by the Woodland Trust in partnership with Plantlife, Cumbria Connect, Cumbria Woodlands and other partners.

The project is funded by the Government’s Species Survival Fund developed by Defra.

People can join expert-led walks through ancient woodlands, take part in a Not Quite the Dawn Chorus Walk, observe Red Squirrels at Shap Wells, or experience the calming effects of Full Moon Forest Bathing at Burnbanks Woodland.

A series of talks at The Old Courthouse will feature conservation experts discussing topics including temperate rainforests, living with beavers and the science of nature conservation.

On Sunday May 25, families can take part in a fun-filled day of sensory woodland activities at Burnbanks Woodland, introducing children to the wonders of nature through hands-on activities and exploration outdoors.