One bonus about the long slide into winter is you can always look forward to the Kendal Mountain Festival. Held every November, it’s THE main social event for outdoor enthusiasts in the UK. As ever, this year’s event will feature hundreds of film screenings including high-profile premieres, plus loads of speakers and special guests making this a must-do long weekend in the Lake District.

Early news from the organisers reveals some big names headlining the programme. Tommy Caldwell catapulted to international fame last year free-climbing the Dawn Wall on Yosemite’s El Capitan with Kevin Jorgeson, followed weeks later by completion of the audacious Fitz Traverse in Patagonia with Alex Honnold. Caldwell travels to Kendal for a one-off UK appearance, which is guaranteed to keep the audience on the edge of its seat.

Ben Moon hit the climbing headlines in June, redpointing Rainshadow at Malham Cove, his second route graded 9a. Incredibly this was just a few days before his 49th birthday and 25 years after climbing Hubble, his first 9a, leading to an outbreak of mass motivation/depression among middle-aged climbers across the world.

Kendal’s Specialist Sessions have become legendary, spanning activities from bike to snowsports. Now by popular demand there are two more in the mix: the Petzl Rock Session and Black Diamond Alpine Session. The Rock line-up has yet to be announced, but Petzl is bringing Swiss star Nina Caprez along to the Alpine Session with tales from Patagonian and Kyrgyzstani mountains to sport climbing around Europe and the USA.

Adventurers will feature large in the programme with round-Britain swimmer Sean Conway, record-breaking distance runner Nicky Spinks, and more to be announced. Plenty of film action to look forward to as well, with new films featuring Leo Houlding, Matt Helliker, Jon Bracey and Natalie Berry from the UK’s top filmmakers, plus of course the cream of new releases from around the world.

Together with the art exhibitions, literature lectures, the RAB Party plus the Boardman Tasker literary prize, it promises to be another unmissable year.