THIS year’s Malvern Walking Festival looks set to provide even more challenges for all ages and abilities.

The full programme has been announced and the online booking forms are now available for more than 25 walks covering about 106 miles of breathtaking scenery in and around the district.

It has been extended from nine to 11 days, with the usual festival running from Saturday, May 26 to Sunday, June 3 while events will continue to run across the special Diamond Jubilee bank holiday on Monday and Tuesday, June 4-5.

Organiser Ray Roberts said bookings started coming in almost immediately after the details went online.

He said: “This year we are taking advantage of the extra bank holiday. The first bookings are always for the more arduous walks and the very first one that came in was within about five minutes of it going live.”

The pick of the new events is the five-day discovery trail developed by Bob Baldwin, which stretches as far as Chipping Camden, Tewkesbury and Birtsmorton covering about 11 miles each day.

Another challenging addition is the 31-mile Worcestershire Way in a day, taking walkers from Bewdley to Malvern, while the 2010 heritage trail returns, led by Derek Starkey over six days.

The popular end-to-end walk will once again be a double event to meet demand and the whole route promises to test serious and fit walkers as they march about 18 miles.

Other walks will give the opportunity to explore the area’s literary and musical connections with Peter Smith, the director of the Autumn in Malvern Festival.

There are also walks dipping into various historical and geological aspects of the town and outlying villages.

Those with a sweet tooth will be pleased to hear that a tasting session at Just Rachel ice cream in Bromsberrow is on the agenda again, following a relatively easy walk on the southern end of the hills.

For more information go to malvern-hills.co.uk/malvernwalking- festival.

Tickets are also available from Malvern tourist information centre in person or on 01684 892289.