The Viking Way's 50th anniversary celebrations have already inspired thousands of people to walk sections of Lincolnshire's famous route, but over the past week the BBC has really shouted about it.
As part of the year-long Viking Way at 50 campaign, listeners across Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire have been hearing about the history, people and landscapes that make the route so special. Features on the Way have been appearing across BBC Radio Lincolnshire, BBC Radio Humberside, BBC Sounds, BBC Look North and social media.
The broadcasts form part of a packed programme of anniversary activity celebrating the route's golden milestone. Since the start of the year, walkers have been exploring featured Walk of the Month routes, collecting miles towards Viking Way badges, discovering lesser-known stretches of the trail and learning more about the stories hidden within the landscape.
One of the voices leading the celebrations has been presenter Richard Stead, who spent two days talking about the Viking Way across a range of BBC programmes, sharing stories from along the route and highlighting what makes it one of the country's most remarkable walking experiences.
The interviews covered everything from the origins of the trail to the communities, volunteers and organisations that have helped shape it over the past five decades. For anyone who missed the live broadcasts, they can still be enjoyed on BBC Sounds.
The coverage goes beyond simple route information. It explores how the Viking Way links together some of the county's most celebrated landscapes, from the dramatic escarpment villages south of Lincoln and the ancient Lincolnshire Limewoods AND from the rolling hills of the Wolds to the open countryside of the Kesteven Uplands.
The broadcasts also help tell the human story behind the trail. While many people know the Viking Way as a line on a map that stretches 149-miles through Lincolnshire and into Rutland, far fewer know about the people who created it, maintain it and continue to champion it nearly half a century after it first opened.
For those wanting to delve deeper, a number of special BBC Sounds features are available.
There's also television coverage to watch back via the BBC iPlayer including a special episode of Country File, recent Look North coverage and a short social media film produced by BBC Radio Lincolnshire and BBC Radio Humberside with each capturing the spirit of the anniversary celebrations, and the landscapes that make the route so memorable.
Listen and watch
- Listen to interviews at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0031qg4 and https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0031q17
- BBC Radio Humberside - BBC Radio Humberside, The Viking Way: 50 years of adventure
- BBC Radio Lincolnshire - BBC Radio Lincolnshire, The people behind the Viking Way
- BBC Radio Lincolnshire - BBC Radio Lincolnshire, 50 years of the Viking Way
- BBC Look North feature is at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m003297y/look-north-east-yorkshire-and-lincolnshire-evening-news-29092026
- And there’s a BBC Lincolnshire Facebook Short Video at: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18BD9JsGmE/
Viking Way at 50: The trail that's actually the cause of the celebrations
The Viking Way was created in 1976 and runs for 149 miles from the Humber Estuary to Oakham in Rutland. Developed through a partnership between Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Humberside County Councils and The Ramblers, it has become one of England's best-loved long-distance walking routes.
Its name reflects the area's links to the Danelaw during the late ninth century, when Lincolnshire formed part of historic Mercia.
Today, the route takes walkers through some of the county's most spectacular and varied landscapes, connecting coast, countryside, woodland, villages and market towns along the way. As the 50th anniversary celebrations continue, the growing media coverage is helping even more people discover why the Viking Way remains one of Lincolnshire's greatest walking achievements.