Walking in Jersey, Channel Islands

Walking in Jersey is a real delight with its beautiful coastline and hidden countryside gems. Although the island is quite small (9 by 5 miles) it is packed with things to see and places to safely walk. The north coast is known for its cliff top walks, lovely bays and coves to explore. The west and the south coastal path is generally much flatter with expansive beaches and at low tide the ability to walk out to islands and old forts. The east coast is more of a mixture of higher and lower ground.

Inland Jersey has some beautiful valleys, reservoirs, woodlands and of course, fields where the famous Jersey cows are kept and the delightful Jersey potatoes are grown. There is an abundance of wildlife to see due to the mixture of coastal, dune, woodland, heath land, reservoir and farmland areas for it to thrive. The sea surrounding Jersey is exceptionally clean thus providing a good environment for sea birds and marine creatures.

Here is a link to Jersey.com where you can download many guides to help you find walks on Jersey.

Among my favourite walks are those along the north coast of Jersey with the cliff top views over the spectacular bays and views across to Sark, Guernsey and France. With lush countryside on one side and the sea on the other, this forms the perfect walking scenery along the well-signed pathways. Some parts of this area can be hard on underused muscles with the constant rise and fall in the landscape. The route from Greve de Lecq to Plemont certainly has its rises and falls. It seems that no sooner have you reached a peak you start to descend and do it all over again! However, there is some fine refreshment at both the start and finish. I can recommend the Plemont Beach Cafe and at Greve de Lecq, the popular Coleens Cafe, The Prince of Wales Hotel or just a short walk away from the sea front the pub/restaurant  Le Moulin de Lecq. In the latter, the bar is in front of the waterwheel workings which is a wonderful glimpse into the past.

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Moving slightly inland and with a car park next to the A12 road is the reservoir walk through The Forgotten Forest Arboretum. This leads to and takes you around the Val de la Mare Reservoir owned by Jersey Water with pathways for the public to use. See the video for more information.

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There are so many walks in Jersey that you could be kept busy for months exploring the many pathways. On my travels, I stopped and spoke to some of the locals and one lady said she walked the cliff path every day and never gets bored with the view. That would be my feeling too if I lived there!

I am certainly looking forward to my next visit to Jersey and getting out and about exploring much more of this fascinating island.

Have you any favourite walks on the Island of Jersey? Please leave a comment in the box below.