Four poets are planning a four-day, 47-mile Yorkshire trek from Marsden to Ilkley, and they will be offering a series of “walkshops” - poetry workshops on the hoof – as they go. Michael Stewart, Julia Deakin, William Thirsk-Gaskill and Gaia Holmes will be following the Stanza Stones poetry trail, a sequence of six poems, by Simon Armitage, which respond to the landscape of the Pennine watershed, and were carved into stone in six atmospheric locations between Marsden and Ilkley.

The four will be joined along the way between 17-20 October by other writers and members of the public, and they will be encouraging emerging writers to join them for as much of the walk they wish. During this time, they will give the writers constructive feedback on their work (if solicited).  At the end of each walking day, the poets plan to give evening readings at venues along the trail. These evening readings will be followed by open mic. At the end of each event one of the socks that Simon Armitage wore during his “Walking Home” tour (the 256-mile route of the Pennine Way) will be used to collect donations for charity. The sock will have been washed.

An event is planned to launch the project in Marsden on 16 October. The journey will end in Ilkley on 20 October, the last day of the Ilkley literature festival.

All four poets are looking forward to the challenge. “Throughout my life, I have been made to walk in certain directions, and this time I am walking the way I want to walk. And while I am walking, I get to talk. And when I have finished walking and talking, I get to perform.” said William Thirsk Gaskill.

Julia Deakin added: "My first collection had a walking theme, I walk for inspiration and can't think of any better way to spend a wet October weekend. Or a dry one."

Michael Stewart described the route his mind takes while walking: “I’m walking across the moors. As I’m walking, I’m thinking about that line, ‘taking a line for a walk’. Could that be the first line of something? What’s the next line? ‘through grass and [something] and gorse?’. I don’t like the line. It stinks. It doesn’t mean anything. But I like the slant rhyme ‘walk/gorse’. Maybe I can use that. I’m walking along a rabbit run and trying to avoid nettles. They are everywhere. I’m thinking about that poem by Vernon Scannell about trying to protect his son from the nettles at the bottom of his garden. That was about something, man v nature and/or how we can’t protect our children from the world. There’s a cluster of Jack-By-The-Hedges. They have a garlic/mustard flavour – nice in salads. I’m surrounded by edible plants – food. Why don’t we eat them? Instead of buying green beans that have come from Zimbabwe or wherever. I’m thinking about the past, about people hundreds of years ago, before aeroplanes, computers, cars. I’m connected to them through these plants. The landscape, the same scene. Except that pylon there. I’m thinking about bees and butterflies. Can’t see any. Need pollinators. Now I’m thinking about the future, without them. Not much of a future. I carry on walking.”

Gaia Holmes said that “the act of walking irons out the creases in my soul . I used to have a mad dog who I’d walk, he died so now I walk my poems. Walking solves their behavioural problems. I walk and I edit. I also walk my way through writers’ block. I set off with nothing and come home with my mind and my pockets full of poems. When I’m walking it’s as if my head is a new notebook. I don’t set off on these walks looking for ideas. I walk until I forget myself and the poet takes over. Despite the threat of bad weather, sore soles and blisters, walking and talking poetry whilst guzzling down the succulent Pennine landscapes will be a luxury.”

Times, venues and events will be confirmed nearer the time. You can find more details of each leg and check for updates here