in the world, and proves remarkably good value
Tourist information
The first point of contact for all tourism-related enquiries is Guernsey Information Centre, North Esplanade, St Peter Port, GY1 3AN, tel 01481 723552, email [email protected], website www.visitguernsey.com.
The information centre can provide plenty of free printed materials, including accommodation brochures and leaflets about attractions, events and ‘what’s on’ guides. There are also books, maps and gifts on sale. The website includes plenty of information about walking opportunities, including the popular Guernsey Walking Weeks that are a feature of spring and autumn each year. These events offer visiting walkers the chance to explore the island in the company of Guernsey people, led by knowledgeable local guides.
There are also tourism bodies on the smaller islands. For Alderney, check with Visit Alderney, States of Alderney, PO Box 1001, Alderney, GY9 3AA, tel 01481 822333, www.visitalderney.com. For Sark check with Sark Tourism Office, The Avenue, Sark, GY10 1SA, tel 01481 832345, www.sark.co.uk. For Herm check with Administration Office, Herm, Guernsey, GY1 3HR, tel 01481 750000, www.herm.com.
Emergencies
The police, ambulance, fire and coastguard services are all alerted by dialling 999, free of charge, from any telephone. Alternatively, the European emergency number of 112 can be used.
The emergency services sometimes call on the assistance of the Channel Islands Air Search, a voluntary organisation that maintains a light aircraft, available on stand-by 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, offering an ‘eyes in the sky’ capability around the islands. See www.ci-airsearch.com.
Using this guide
The walks in this guidebook start with a town trail around St Peter Port, allowing visitors to become acquainted with some of the heritage features and services of the second largest town in the Channel Islands. Walks 2 to 14 are arranged clockwise round the coast of Guernsey, and most of them are circular, made up of a coastal stretch and an inland stretch. They are all fairly short and easy, with the most rugged being along the south coast. As all the walks are arranged side-by-side they can be linked to form longer walks. Walk 8 includes an optional extension that is entirely dependent on a favourable tide; therefore, it might not be possible to attempt while you are on the island. Walks 15 to 19 explore the inland parts of Guernsey, although as has already been observed, no part of the island is more than 3km (2 miles) from the sea.
Quiet reflection – an early morning scene on the harbour at St Peter Port
Some walkers visit Guernsey simply to walk all the way round the coast, and this is an admirable plan. Walk 20 explains in very brief detail how to do it, by referring readers back to Walks 2 to 14. Each of these walks includes a stretch of coast, but at the point where these routes head inland, it is possible to link directly with the next walk in the book and the next stretch of coast. An annual sponsored walk aims to cover the coast in one long day, while average walkers would take three days to walk round the island.
All the walking routes on Guernsey are accessible by bus services, and if any other bus services cross them, these are mentioned. Places offering food and drink are mentioned, but as opening times vary, it is wise to carry something to eat and drink. If there are any visitor attractions on the routes a brief description is given; if contact details are provided, opening times can be checked. Bear in mind that some attractions take an hour or two to explore properly, and this eats into the time spent walking. A very short walking route with two or three major attractions and a good restaurant can take all day to complete if walkers really want to make the most of these opportunities!
Walks 21 to 25 explore the small islands of Alderney, Sark and Herm, and so require onward travel from Guernsey to complete. These can be attempted as out-and-back day trips, using the earliest and latest transport links. It is better to spend a couple of days on both Alderney and Sark, so that the walking is not rushed, and the routes on those islands are presented with that in mind.
Channel Island Way walkers can follow rugged cliff-top paths round the island of Jersey
Walkers who have also obtained a copy of the Cicerone guidebook Walking on Jersey can combine coastal walks around Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm with a coastal walk around Jersey, thereby completing the ‘Channel Island Way’. The full distance is around 178km (110 miles) (see Appendix A).
WALK 1
St Peter Port Town Trail
| Start/Finish | Liberation Monument, St Peter Port |
| Distance | Variable |
| Terrain | Urban roads, sometimes steep or with steps, as well as parks. |
| Refreshments | Plenty of choice around St Peter Port. |
| Transport | All bus services on Guernsey operate to and from the bus terminus on South Esplanade. |
St Peter Port is the largest town on Guernsey and the second largest in the Channel Islands. Approaching the town by ferry, its buildings look as if they are stacked onto a cliff face, and the land certainly rises very abruptly from the harbour. A rigid route description is hardly appropriate, and in fact there is no need to dedicate a whole day to a tour. Simply explore a different area of town any time you are passing through. There are so many places of interest, many of them apparent even if you are not particularly on the lookout for them. Lots of little plaques and memorials are fixed to all sorts of structures. There is a fine museum, several interesting and historic buildings, steep and narrow streets, some with flights of steps, and a number of green spaces to discover. Free town plans are widely available.
The focal point for exploring St Peter Port is around the Weighbridge and the Liberation Monument between the harbour and a large marina. Truck-loads of tomatoes and other goods for shipment used to be weighed and then weighed again unladen at the Weighbridge. The difference between the two weights was the weight of the goods, for which payment would be made. Wandering along the North Esplanade leads past the Guernsey Information Centre, tel 01481 723552, and onto The Quay. The bus terminus lies beyond on South Esplanade. Walk 2 starts on South Esplanade. High Street runs parallel to The Quay, in effect doubling back a few steps inland from the Parish Church of St Peter Port. The church is worth a visit; it dates from at least 1048, when it was referred to as Sancti Petri de Portu Maris.
The old Market Hall is tucked away behind the church, but has been converted into shops and no longer features market stalls. There are plenty of shops along High Street, continuing along The Pollet, offering goods at duty-free prices. At the post office on Smith Street enquiries can be made about Guernsey and Alderney stamps and first day covers. Climbing through St Peter Port is a matter of following steep and narrow streets, or very steep and very narrow streets, or even flights of steps. Energetic walkers might dash up and down these, but most people will take them slowly and easily.
Buildings rise straight from the harbourside in St Peter Port and narrow streets climb inland
St
