Bronte Country will feature heavily in a 16-day festival designed to encourage people to make the most of the stunning South Pennine landscape.

The fifth South Pennines Walk and Ride Festival takes place next month and is aimed at walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

The varied programme, organised by rural regeneration company Pennine Prospects, will include more than 100 walks and rides.

The festival starts on Saturday September 8 and events in and around Keighley and the Worth Valley will begin that day with a three-hour ‘Starlight Hike’ starting at 11pm from Haworth Park.

On September 11 there will be a three-hour walk starting at 10am from Penistone Hill Country Park to Top Withens and Bronte Bridge. The same day will also feature a short, one-hour ‘health walk’, starting and ending at East Riddlesden Hall. This will begin at 2pm.

Keen cyclists will be able to put their stamina to the test on a 45-mile route on September 16. This will start at 8.30am and will climb from Hebden Bridge towards Haworth, pausing at Scar Top before going on to Laneshaw Bridge and Foulridge, then returning to Hebden Bridge.

Also taking place on September 16 is a heritage walk along the Bronte Way which will include Denholme Clough and Doe Park Reservoir. This will start at Old Bell Chapel, in Thornton, at 11.30am.

Another one-hour ramble through Riddlesden is scheduled for September 18, again setting off from East Riddlesden Hall at 2pm.

On September 22 Bronte fans can take advantage of an eight-mile walk exploring the landscape made famous by the literary sisters. This begins at the Bronte Parsonage Museum at 10.30am.

The following day will feature the Bronte Mountain Bike Challenge, including 26-mile, 21-mile and 10-mile cycle rides setting off from Oxenhope Community Centre at 9am.

People can find out how they can take part in each individual event via walkandridefestival.co.uk. Mark Turner, director of Pennine Prospects, said: “I’d like to thank all the volunteers, who have such passion for their local area and work so hard to make this one of the best outdoor festivals in the country.”