Walking on Guernsey

25 routes including the Guernsey Coastal Walk, Alderney, Sark and Herm

By Paddy Dillon

ISBN

9781786311306

Availability

Published

28 Jun 2023

Edition

Third

Pages

208

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.20cm

Weight

250g

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Guidebook to 24 easy day walks on the Channel Islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm, and the 3-day Guernsey Coastal Walk. Making up part of the Channel Islands Way, the routes follow paths, tracks and quiet roads and total around 240km (150 miles). Uses detailed 1:15,000 scale States of Guernsey maps, with notes on travel, accommodation, plants and wildlife and the islands' fascinating history.

Seasons

all year round, but particularly good in spring when the wild flowers are at their most colourful; busy during the summer, with long, sunny days; quieter in autumn; sometimes bleak in the winter

Centres

St Peter Port; St Sampson

Difficulty

good paths and tracks are used, along with quiet country roads, avoiding main roads wherever possible; gradients are often gentle, but there are some rugged cliff paths and occasional steep slopes and flights of steps; short walks can be combined to make longer ones

Must See

excellent cliff coastline, rocky and sandy beaches; nature reserves and public gardens; absorbing historical features – prehistoric sites, castles and churches, as well as concrete reminders of the Nazi occupation; trips to the smaller islands of Alderney, Sark and Herm are especially recommended

ISBN

9781786311306

Availability

Published

28 Jun 2023

Edition

Third

Pages

208

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.20cm

Weight

250g

Overview

This guide describes 25 walks on the Channel Islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm. From easy 5km (3-mile) day walks to the 61km (38-mile), 3-day Guernsey Coastal Walk, it explores the islands' varied landscapes and historic sites on mostly firm and well-surfaced paths and tracks, and quiet roads. Never straying far from the attractions and cafes that dot the islands, more rugged paths are occasionally used to access cliffs and headlands, although optional alternative routes and short cuts are included where relevant. Famous for its sunshine, history and wonderful coastline, Guernsey is a popular destination for travellers, boasting superb year-round walking no further than 2 miles from the sea. This guidebook presents a range of mostly circular routes exploring the Guernsey coast and interior, and the smaller islands of Alderney, Sark and Herm. Neighbouring walks can easily be combined into longer routes for walkers with more time or fitness. Routes feature 1:15,000 States of Guernsey maps, while flora and fauna and the fascinating history of the islands are also covered. Details are included of public transport, where to stay and how to travel between the islands, as well as connecting with the 182km (113-mile) Channel Island Way.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Overview map

Map key

Route summary table

Introduction

Location

Geology

Turbulent history

Government

Wildlife

Protected areas

Getting to Guernsey

When to go

Accommodation

Health and safety

Food and drink

Parlez-vous franglais?

Money

Communications

Walking on Guernsey

What to take

Waymarking and access

Maps

Getting around Guernsey

Travel to Alderney, Sark and Herm

Tourist information

Emergencies

Using this guide

The walks

Walk 1 St Peter Port Town Trail

Walk 2 St Peter Port and Fermain Bay

Walk 3 Fermain and Jerbourg Point

Walk 4 La Fosse and Icart Point

Walk 5 Le Bourg and Pointe de la Moye

Walk 6 La Prévôte and Torteval

Walk 7 Portelet Harbour and Pleinmont

Walk 8 Rocquaine Bay and Lihou Island

Walk 9 Perelle Bay and St Saviour

Walk 10 Vazon Bay and Cobo Bay

Walk 11 Cobo Bay and Saumarez Park

Walk 12 Portinfer and L’Islet

Walk 13 L’Ancresse and Vale

Walk 14 St Sampson and Belle Grève Bay

Walk 15 Beau Sejour and Le Friquet

Walk 16 St Martin and La Villette

Walk 17 St Andrew and Castel

Walk 18 King’s Mills and Fauxquets

Walk 19 Rocquaine Bay and Quanteraine

Walk 20 Guernsey Coastal Walk

Alderney

Walk 21 Alderney – East

Walk 22 Alderney – West

Sark

Walk 23 Sark – South

Walk 24 Sark – North

Herm

Walk 25 Herm

Appendix A The Channel Island Way

Appendix B Contacts

Maps

Maps

The maps in this guidebook are extracted from the 1:15,000 States of Guernsey map. This is rather different from the Ordnance Survey maps used by most walkers in Britain. In fact, the map was originally compiled by the Military Survey at 1:25,000, but that version is now out of print. New and updated digital mapping has been produced by Digimap at 1:15,000, www.digimap.gg, for the States of Guernsey, with Alderney, Sark and Herm covered at 1:10,000. These are the most detailed maps of the island, showing everything down to field boundaries and even the back gardens of houses in towns and villages. The walking routes in this guidebook are shown as a highlighted overlay on this 1:15,000 map. The route maps for Alderney, Sark and Herm use open street map data and are at 1:30,000.

There are plenty of other maps of Guernsey, mostly published by Perry’s. These include free maps suitable for general touring, which often highlight attractions so boldly that they obscure other details in the vicinity. By all means amass a collection of free maps, picking them up from the tourist information centre or from hotels and visitor attractions around the island.

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Paddy Dillon

Paddy Dillon is a prolific walker and guidebook writer, with over 100 guidebooks to his name and contributions to 40 other titles. He has written for several outdoor magazines and other publications and has appeared on radio and television.Paddy uses a tablet computer to write as he walks. His descriptions are therefore precise, having been written at the very point at which the reader uses them.Paddy is an indefatigable long-distance walker who has walked all of Britain's National Trails and several European trails. He has also walked in Nepal, Tibet, Korea and the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the US. Paddy is a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild and President of the Backpackers Club.

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