Walking in Guernsey

One of the most popular activities in Guernsey is walking. There is something for everyone from cliffs and coastal path as to countryside lanes.

Walks around St Peter Port

Cornet Street	Overlooking St Peter Port

Built into the steep valley that leads down to the harbour, St Peter Port is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful towns in Europe and with spectacular views across to Herm and the other islands. Let an expert show you around the town of St Peter Port with a guided tour leaving from the Tourist Information Bureau at the North Esplanade during the summer months. There are three walks; 

• In Victor Hugo's Footsteps -Tuesdays 10.30 am & Wednesdays 2.30pm, including a visit to Maison Victor Hugo (approx 2 hours) 
• Heart of the town - Mondays & Thursdays 10.30am (approx 1.25 hours) 
• Off the Beaten Track - Fridays 10.30am (approx 1.25 hours) 

Another suggested Walk

Alternatively you may wish to organise your own walk. A suggestion is as follows:

Start at the Liberation monument near the harbour and after crossing to the tax rank, have a walk up Le Truchot, the heart of the banking industry. Most of the buildings are new but in keeping with the pitched roofed warehouses which used to occupy this area of town until the 1980s. Take the first left and left again which takes you into La Plaiderie, the site of the former court house which was demolished in 1929. Moores Hotel on the right used to be the home of Admiral Lord de Sausmarez. 

Go up past the impressive buildings of the public school Elizabeth College and turn right into Upland Road, past the Royal Bank of Canada building. Go left and aim for the impressive Victoria Tower built in celebration of Queen Victoria's visit in 1846. Opposite the tower is the Cimitiere des Etrangers, where foreigners were buried which has good views over St Peter Port. At the end of that road is Candie Road where a visit to Candie Museum is an absolute must and the gardens are fabulous. and also the Priaulx Library with its excellent archive records. 

Afterwards, re-trace your steps up Candie Road and turn right towards Cambridge Park and right again at the Duke of Richmond Hotel. This will take you past the former Centre. The walk will be worthwhile, for at the end is Les Cotils Centre, a former nunnery but now a Christian Retreat of the road. From a site called the Blue Mountains, you will get the most spectacular view you can ever imagine overlooking St Peter Port and the other islands including Alderney and Jersey on a clear day. From there you can walk down towards St Julians Avenue and back to where you started.

Castle Cornet from the Blue Mountains

Country Lanes & Millennium walk

It may surprise many that there is an area of only 40 square kilometres, yet there are 500 kilometres of roads and lanes, many of them Green and water lanes dating back hundreds of years, which have no traffic. The water lanes were used a lot up to the mid-eighteen hundreds and have a stream down the centre or side of the lane. Many of the hedges which form boundaries, date back to Elizabethan times. Walk along the lanes of St Peter's and St Andrew's with farmhouses scattered here and there and high Bank hedges, it feels a completely different world. Hedges by law, must be cut back by the 15th June and up to that time, the hedges would-be awash with the colour of wild flowers.  

The delayed Millennium walk project around St Saviour's Reservoir is definitely recommended having opened 19 months late. Two miles of paths are open and the rest should be completed by the end of 2001. The Water Board took over responsibility for developing it and consulted interested parties for advice.

Cliff Walks

Petit Port	View from Jerbourg

The cliffs of Guernsey have been protected from development since 1927 and have also been recognised as sites of Special Scientific interest as well as being an important bird area by the RSPB. The 28 and-a-half mile network of cliffs start at La Vallette in St Peter Port and stretch along the East and south coast to Pleinmont point. The south coast has been described as one of the best walks in the Europe. With 100 metre high cliffs and away from the hustle and bustle of life, you can enjoy the sound of the birds and waves crashing on the rocks. Renoir appreciated the beauty of this area as did Victor Hugo who wrote about many of the places along the way including Le Gouffre, in Toilers of the sea. Renoir painted fifteen canvasses in 1883 based around Moullin Huet Bay and very little has changed since then.

Cliffs in Spring

Icart in Spring	Gorse along cliff paths

The cliffs in Spring time are especially beautiful. The yellow gorse combine with mass of white hawthorn flowers. You will also find bluebells, which although normally as woodland flower, seem to thrive on the cliffs. Wild garlic, celandines, sand crocus and forget-me-nots add to the colourful scenes.

	Whatever the season, the island's cliffs are a pleasure to walk along, with the mass of spring flowers, the yellow gorse and pride sunshine and blue sea in the summer, the gold of Autumn and the crisp breezes of winter. Ensure you have a good pair of walking shoes and don't forget to take the walk in stages. There are plenty of beach cafes along the way to provide refreshment.
Cliff Path in Autumn