Flower festivals...folk festivals...walks in the countryside...autumn days are here.

CARTMEL... IMMERSE yourself in the spiritual atmosphere of the beautiful 12th Century Cartmel Priory and enjoy the first Flower Festival to be held at the church for 13 years. The theme of the festival is For all the Saints and it features 43 floral arrangements each representing a saint. The festival opens on Friday and runs until Sunday (September 5). For details call 015395-36015/36261.

OTLEY... YORKSHIRE Dales Workshops, one of the region's leading exponents of folk and traditional arts, brings a day of workshops and performance to the Otley Courthouse on Saturday. There will be workshops in art, dance, storytelling and fiddling and many others. The day runs from 11am-10.30pm. For details call 01756-799367.

KENDAL... ENJOY a historic walk around the Auld Grey Town with the Westmorland Caledonian Society on Sunday. The walk will follow a route around the Riverside area finishing with a tea at Charlie's Bar on Stricklandgate, where Bonnie Prince Charlie is reputed to have stayed during the 1745 uprising. Meet at the car park behind County Hall at 2.30pm. The walk will take approximately an hour and a half.

THE world-famous Cambridge Footlights, the comedy troupe which sired many of today's comic talents such as Fry and Laurie, is appearing at the Brewery Arts Centre on Friday. The show, Beyond a Joke, features a series of energy fuelled sketches against a bizarre backdrop of humanity. The show begins at 8pm. For tickets call 01539-725133.

FAMED as the man who cut Joe Simpson's rope in Touching the Void, renowned climber Simon Yates returns to the Brewery Arts Centre on Saturday to give a special lecture and slideshow about his adventures in South America. The talk begins at 8pm. For tickets call 01539-725133.

FLEETWOOD... FYLDE Folk Festival gets underway this weekend in a variety of locations around the fishing port of Fleetwood. The programme features many big names from the world of folk music including Mercury Prize winner Kate Rusby. The festival opens tomorrow (Thursday) and runs until Sunday (September 5). For tickets call 01772-872317 or visit www.fylde-folk- festival.com .

STORTH... THE Storth Entertainers production of Alan Ayckbourn's Confusions opens on Tuesday (September 7) at Storth Village Hall.

Performances begin at 7.30pm and tickets are available on 015395-63308 (day), 01524-761903 (evening) or at Storth Post Office.

LONGRIDGE... TAKE a bracing stroll in the beautiful Lancashire countryside within Beacon Fell County Park, near Longridge, on Sunday. The walk will look at the history, management and wildlife of Beacon Fell. Meet outside the Bowland Visitor Centre at 2pm. For details call 01995-640557.

BARROW... CATCH the Tim Stead exhibition at Barrow Dock Museum until September 12. The exhibition celebrates his lifelong creative passion for wood through sculpture, furniture making, photography and poetry. For details call 01229-894444.

CARNFORTH... EXPLORE Carnforth's connections with the classic romantic film Brief Encounter tomorrow (Thursday). The walk will feature the railway connection to the film as well as other aspects of the town's development. Meet at the war memorial on Market Street at 2.30pm.