Shepton Mallet's annual Festival of Walking is returning for a fifth year, with four walks ranging from a gentle pub-bound ramble to an 8.5-mile mystery trek across the Mendips. Shepton Walks will stage the festival from Friday, 11 September to Sunday, 13 September, with routes aimed at walkers, artists, history fans and anyone who simply fancies getting out into the countryside.

The weekend begins on Friday with a four-mile Pub Walk starting outside Croscombe Village Hall at 10 am. Walkers will follow the Mendip Way towards Dinder before returning across the fields to Croscombe, where there is the not-insignificant incentive of finishing at the George Inn for the chance to buy refreshments.

The route is cross-country, so organisers are asking people to come prepared with suitable clothing and footwear. Walkers attending the Croscombe event have also been asked not to use the Village Hall car park.

Saturday morning takes things in a more artistic direction when Steve Cobbin returns to lead a Doodles and Drawing walk. No previous drawing experience is needed, with the session designed for anyone with enthusiasm and an interest in looking at Shepton and its surroundings through an artist's eyes.

Later on Saturday, local history takes centre stage as Ian Keys leads another of his History Walks. This year's route will explore the legacy of the River Sheppey and the part it played in supporting industries which once gave Shepton Mallet an international reputation.

The walk will also look at buildings connected with that industrial past and the families whose stories became tied to the town's development. It offers a chance to look beyond the streets people pass every day and uncover some of the history running alongside — and sometimes underneath — them.

Sunday brings the festival's biggest physical challenge with a mystery ramble of around 8.5 miles. The route will cross mixed Mendip terrain and organisers warn that a good level of fitness will be required.

Some sections could prove challenging, so sturdy walking boots are strongly recommended. The exact route is being kept under wraps, meaning those signing up will at least have one excuse if they are not entirely sure where they are going.

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Shepton Mallet is part of the national Walkers are Welcome network, with the town sitting at the gateway to the Mendip countryside and surrounded by footpaths, historic routes and reminders of its industrial past. Shepton Walks is a not-for-profit group which promotes walking in and around the town and also organises walks outside its annual festival.

Places on the festival walks are limited and advance booking is available through Shepton Walks and Eventbrite. Full start times and meeting points for each of the four walks are available when booking.

With a pub, pencils, industrial history and a sizeable chunk of the Mendips all squeezed into three days, this year's festival is certainly covering some ground. The only tricky bit is deciding which walk to choose — although nobody has said you have to stop at one.

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