THE annual St. Olav Wirral Viking Heritage walks are returning this month.

The walks, which celebrate the peninsula's Viking heritage, will take place on Sunday, July 28 and Monday, July 29 on St Olav’s Day.

Every year at the end of July, thousands of walkers and pilgrims from across Scandinavia head to Trondheim where St Olav, the ‘Viking’ saint and patron saint of Norway is buried.

He died in battle on July 29, 1030, and for the last 17 years, Wirral has been running its own St Olav walks to commemorate St Olav and our own Viking heritage.

On Sunday, July 28 a two-three mile Wirral Viking Border Walk will take place.

The route will cross the old Viking border, ‘Norsevirke’, between Willaston and Raby (old Norse, Rá-býr “boundary settlement”) before passing where a former Viking “intake” or farm enclosure used to be.

Along the walk organiser, Steve Harding and co-organiser Sue Bishop, will take about the areas of Viking heritage.

Those wanting to take part are asked to meet at Hadlow station at 3pm.

On Monday, July 29, a walk to St Olave’s Church will take place. The one-two mile walk will start at 6pm led by co-organised Katherine Brown of St Johns, Chester based Viking re-enactment group Unknown Vikings.

The walk will go from St John’s church in Chester to St Olave’s Church.

Wirral’s Viking colony, established by Ingimund in the early part of the 10th century, later spread to Chester helping to make it a financial centre, with its own church dedicated to the Norwegian Viking saint.

To find out more information about the event click here. To reserve places email steve.harding@nottingham.ac.uk.