Islanders are being encouraged to explore Guernsey on foot for this year’s revised Spring Walking Festival.
Although guided walks and other festival events have been cancelled, organisers hope people can still get involved while adhering to social distancing requirements.
‘We really didn’t want to cancel the festival. Our guides put a lot of time and effort into preparing their walks, and we know some of them are putting together videos of them. We’re hoping we can still encourage people to take on some of these routes by themselves,’ said festival organiser Carla Bauer.
‘The importance of exercise and fresh air for mental wellbeing is so important right now. People have two hours of outdoor exercise time and we’re hoping that some of our walks, which sadly won’t be going ahead, can offer some inspiration. Although there’ll be no group walking this year, we hope that the Spring Walking Festival can be a real celebration of the variety of interesting and beautiful walks we have on our doorstep.’
The festival, which is scheduled for 16-31 May, usually attracts ramblers from the UK and mainland Europe, as well as walkers from the Bailiwick of Guernsey. This year’s itinerary featured more than 50 walks including coastal rambles, a food-inspired tour of St Peter Port, and a trail inspired by The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Walks were also planned on Sark and Herm.
Guide Andrew Walker, who was scheduled to give 10 guided walks during the festival, hopes that people will still use the now cancelled schedule as inspiration for their own walks.
‘Most of mine are fairly easy, a gentle ramble, so they should be suitable for most people, and some can definitely be done in under two hours. If you’re fit you can probably do the Talbot Valley Venture in one-and-a-half hours,’ he said.
‘This walk skirts the borders of the parishes of St Andrew and Castel with the Talbot Valley at its heart. You take in Green lanes, German tunnels, water mills, healing fountains, fief court seats and cider farms.’
Accredited guide Tim Osborne was due to give four walks for this year’s festival. He still hopes that islanders can explore some of the routes on their own, such as the Secrets and Military History of the Jerbourg Peninsula.
‘It’s a circular walk around the Jerbourg headland and I think it can be done in about two hours. It starts in the carpark, opposite the hotel, and focuses on the history of this area since prehistoric times, but primarily on the WWII German fortifications of this area, including stories of the first British commando raids of the war. There are also the remains of an old Napoleonic fort down there,’ he said.
‘You can see a lot of the fortifications from the path. There’s a lot to enjoy around the headland, with or without a guide.’
The full list of planned walks can be found at VisitGuernsey and anyone wanting to know more about a route is being encouraged to contact the guide for further information.